Review: Snow and Voices "Anything That Moves"

Snow and Voices is a collaborative duo comprised of singer-songwriter Lauri Kranz and multi-instrumentalist Jebin Bruni (Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple).. Their third CD, "Anything That Moves", is set for release on May 25.

The new record was produced by Jebin Bruni and Darrell Thorp (Radiohead, Beck), who could not have been better in bringing this dramatic, atmospheric music to life. Kranz and Bruni also pulled together a stellar collective of Los Angeles-area musicians who contribute their skills to Snow and Voices, both live and in their recordings. The talent pool includes Joey Waronker (Thom Yorke, Beck, REM), Joshua Grange (KD Lang, Dwight Yokaum), Chris Bruce (Michelle Ndegeocello, Joe Henry), Jennifer Condos (Ray Lamontagne, Ryan Adams), Blair Sinta (Damien Rice, My Brightest Diamond), Cedric LeMoyne (O+S), Gregory Slay (Remy Zero), Jeffrey Cain (Dead Snares), Vanessa Freebairn-Smith (Gnarls Barkley) and Brian MacLeod (Paul Westerberg, Sheryl Crow). Now that is some name dropping!

Opening track, "Maybe Finland" is superb and demonstrates the maximum potential of Snow and Voices. The delicate and seductive vocals of Lauri Kranz slip into your ears ever so gently. Best of all, you can grab this track for free below. Other very strong and engaging tracks include "Everything Coming Apart", "Liar", and "Please Be My Lover". Not everything held my attention as strongly - some tracks are quite sleepy - so this CD is most fitting for the blues, when you need something slow and easy. The lyrics mostly revolve around love and relationships, but are poetic, sincere, and thoughtful. A CD with every track as gorgeous and melodic as "Maybe Finland" would be heaven.

But to try and stop listening to Snow and Voices is like trying to leave the cozy warmth of your blanket on a cold winter morning. I recommend Snow and Voices if you like the dreamy pop side of Radiohead, Cowboy Junkies, Leona Naess, snow, or beautiful voices.

We have permission to give you the outstanding "Maybe Finland" as a free download. Just click here.

iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 8, 9

Snow and Voices on MySpace. Official site.