Vera Sola’s new album, Shades, propels the listener through a modern, almost cinematic (but somewhat minimalist) indie rock experience. The artist behind this work sounds as though she’s taken some of what’s made gentle music great over the years and updated the entire package.
In a sense, to use a distinctly modern metaphor, it sounds and feels as though she’s rebooted folk music’s entire operating system, and the thing is, we didn’t even know the system was in need of a restart.
The refreshing Shades tells a tantalizing collection of stories that are elusive enough that they could be at once personally applicable and sharing the tales of a fictional universe. The album takes a sample of that universe and attracts the listener inward, leaving enough of the story untold while remaining rich so that there’s a strong sense of engaging wonder. Shades is truly inviting; there’s no real sense of anything antiquated or aloof here.
The rich and personable storytelling is helped along not just by the thematic content but by the stylistic choices made on the album as well. The vocal work is richly textured, far above that of simply making a reasonable way across the register. At times, it’s almost as if there’s a story being told by the vocal tones alone.
In addition to that, Shades unites a folk but almost gothic storytelling sense with remarkably forceful music. At times, with music like this, the vocals take center stage, which works for some but not others. Vera Sola, though, on Shades, has chosen to give a texture and character to the music just like that which is expressed in the vocals. Instrumental parts emanate from wherever they might be needed, adding even more depth to the elusive but attractive songs.
Through it all, there’s a dark but elevated sense. Like a dark horror or thriller film production whose creators of course know the direction of their finished work but leave the audience in the dark from the get-go, there are pangs of recurring control throughout Shades that make the album into something truly more than just another collection of songs. Vera Sola goes way, way beyond that, jumping past interweaving of melody and vocals to create something distinctly memorable.
