Snow and Voices: What the Body Was Made For

Snow and Voices
What the Body Was Made For
Elastic Ruby
2008-07-01

“Come let the water cover me up,” Lauri Kranz sings early on Snow and Voices’ second album. Repeating that line, Kranz’s vocals (through the magic of multi-tracking) begin to envelop her, the cascading melody becoming a perfect representation of the covering she seeks. The moment is also a fitting symbol of the sounds offered by the ensemble, essentially a duo (Jebin Bruni acts as songwriting partner and multi-instrumentalist). Kranz and Bruni blanket the listener in warm, ethereal,ambient sound at every turn, their keyboard-driven tracks consistently lush and lilting. Sharing the same philosophy, other songs sparkle and stand out: “Something Good”, “Rainstorm” and the cello-led “Song 10”.

Snow and Voices only deviate from the subtle and soothing at one notable point — a wonderful cover of the Doors’ “Touch Me”. The song allows Kranz to spread her wings and show a sensuous side that is not aggressively seductive, but paints her as a quietly determined siren. It’s a welcome reprieve because as beautiful and tender as the album is, the consistently slow and soft dynamic gets wearying by album’s end. Overall, the sonic purity of Snow and Voices is a wonderful thing to be wrapped up in but emerging from even the warmest covering is necessary from time to time.

RATING 6 / 10