Pikara is the solo project of Sara Johanne from Rindö, Sweden, Prior to this she was a pianist and bassist with the bands Susurrus Station and Zouaves.
Johanne currently resides in the hills of the Columbia Gorge in Washington state and, though Swedish folk music is an influence, she sings in English.
I wonder about the wisdom of this linguistic choice since some lyrics sound odd and give away the fact that she is not using her native tongue. It's tough, for instance, to make much sense of a line like "Wait for my dream of nothing all one piece" on Closed Case.
'This Hollow' is the her third album and centres around piano based pieces, complemented by string arrangements of Maja Linda Christiansen on violin and viola.
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The oompah rhythms lend many of the seven tracks a theatrical flavour in the tradition of Kurt Weill. Either that or her voice has a Dusty Springfield sense of high melodrama, particularly on Shell Off.
The effect is faintly menacing and mournful as denoted in the title track in which she sings "I'm not afraid of your sorrow though it drags me to despair".
This is an album which is strong on atmosphere but, since there's a lack of emotional depth, it is not as moving as I'm sure the artist intends it to be.
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