After hearing only two demo songs, and with no performance history to speak of, Asthmatic Kitty Records invited David Stith to write and record an album.

Stith's debut on the label comes in the form of "Curtain Speech", an aptly titled EP that serves as an introductory tease for his forthcoming debut full-length, "Heavy Ghost" (due in early 2009).

The music calls to mind contemporaries Antony and the Johnsons, Grizzly Bear, and sometimes the explosiveness of Animal Collective.

However, a handful of other influences cloud the comparison as hints of the dissonance of Sonic Youth and Henryk Gorecki, expressive vocal techniques of Caetano Veloso and Mary Margaret O'Hara, and the romance and textures of Benjamin Britten and Edward Elgar underpin even the simplest of gestures.

Stith's delicate yet confident voice sits amongst lush arrangements of piano, guitar, strings, electronics, choir, percussion and a penny whistle or two.

The structure of the songs feel more like suites, or mini-soundtracks, using repeated themes but not always sticking to a traditional verse-chorus-verse model.

A transfixing and imaginative statement, "Curtain Speech" is a highly rewarding listen and includes appearances by Sufjan Stevens, Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, Osso, and Rafter.