Flare

The sound of Flare centers on deceptive, bittersweet love songs, built around L.D. Beghtol’s classically trained voice, ukulele, and assortment of musical toys, augmented by a rotating cast that has included Jon DeRosa of Dead Leaves Rising and Aarktica, Mother West studio owner Charles Newman, and violinist Mark Gunderman. Additional players from Iida, Magnetic Fields, and other projects regularly contribute their own quirks to the recordings.

Painter Damian Costilla and Beghtol formed the group in 1996 to pursue their shared interests in refined art and music. Early performances in intimate New York City clubs drew notice from Magnetic Fields members Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson. By 1997 the lineup had expanded to include Ernest Adzentoivich of Plexus on contrabass, Vin Scialla of Sunflower on drums, and violinist Holly Mcworter. This quintet issued the album Bottom in 1998, emphasizing Beghtol’s vocals and Costilla’s scattered guitar against backdrops of piano, strings, and machine noise. Following Beghtol’s appearance as guest vocalist on the Magnetic Fields’ 69 Love Songs, Merritt reworked the Bottom track “Celebrate the Misery” into a single whose B-side featured a cover of Everything But the Girl’s “Another Bridge.”

Costilla departed in 1998, prompting a period of changing instrumentalists until DeRosa joined on guitar, banjo, and vocals in 2000. The refreshed ensemble recorded the mini-album Circa later that year. Its material reflects influences ranging from the Incredible String Band to the Carter Family, favoring subtle orchestration and sharp, frequently dark lyrics. In performance the band delivers finicky yet intimate sets whose occasional emotional surges reveal the distanced-observer perspective to be that of a supremely enraged ex-lover, friend, or lingering adversary.