Something About Violins

Julie Sokolow doesn't need much to express herself. To record Something About Violins, she used nothing more than her voice, an acoustic guitar purchased for $28.99, and the built-in microphone on her Macintosh G4 Powerbook. In doing so, she has turned on its head the old adage that lofi is the provenance of analog fetishists. She has also created a work of great and unusual beauty. Using contrasting melodies and vocal textures, she rehashes the most painful, disappointing, and embarrassing episodes of her past. Sometimes her desperation and anger melt into a sexy slur that could be mistaken for one of Karen O's finer moments. At other times her voice is resonant and inviting, and sure to draw comparisons to Julie Doiron or Mirah. In the end Something About Violins is a portrait of an unsettled heart, isolated and caught in-between worlds.