New label Concentric Circles open their account with a vinyl release of Carola Baer's "The Story of Valery", which is comprised of music from a one-off demo cassette found in a thrift store. Beautiful personal & emotionally resonant drum computer mantras in the key of Dead Can Dance, The Cocteau Twins and classic 4AD.
"The Story of Valerie" is made up of songs culled from that cassette, with a few additional tracks from the time, and is the first time Carola Baer's solo material has been heard by the public. The intense emotion of the music is brought upon by the primary themes of the album: the cruelty of humanity, isolated life as a British immigrant in the US, and the pain of doomed relationships. Despite being inspired by classic 4AD acts like Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins, Baer's home recordings have a sound and style that is uniquely her own. Many of the tracks feel like musical exorcisms, with Baer's spine tingling voice soaring above minimal arrangements for Yamaha DX-7 and Casio CZ-101 synthesizers. Like finding a stranger’s diary, the listener is granted access to music that is emotionally raw and deeply personal.
- A1 Maker Of Me
- A2 Golden Boy
- A3 Save Me
- A4 We Already Feel
- A5 Springtime
- A6 Doors Talk
- B1 Solemn Cattle
- B2 Nothing Left To Say
- B3 See The Lights Again
- B4 Dreams
- B5 On Top Of The Mountain