Lara Taska - “Barren Lands”
From Lyon, France, folk artist Lara Taska is back on the blog with “Barren Lands,” a stripped-back and heartrending journey through the sheer agony of grief.
The song opens with only the essential aural ingredients, including a gentle rhythm section of drums and bass that lend a delicate, vintage-tinged pulse to the track. The soft strums of an acoustic guitar coast along the crest of the arrangement, allowing “Barren Lands” to take a chill, yet melancholic shape as it moves itself into your ears.
Taska’s vocal performance is truly divine, able to effectively and immediately nail our niche for the genre. Her delivery is warmly reminiscent of artists such as Billie Marten and Haley Heynderickx, and it is not at all difficult to imagine her singing the song directly into your ear. We say this often, but, to us, the epitome of a good folk song is often its ability to sound like a private conversation between the artist and listener.
On the refrain, Taska lifts into her exquisite falsetto, with the soft sounds of an electric guitar finding its way into the arrangement. The second verse brings an additional layer of vocals, hitting another one of our folksy prerequisites and providing the track with a bountiful supply of ear candy. And even with these additional sounds, the song never abandons its intimate, enchanting course.
“Barren Lands” has arrived on the anniversary of a friend’s passing, so it’s hitting us quite hard. But rest assured that you need not be completely grief-stricken in order to enjoy this delightfully heartfelt and stripped-back number. Taska has a voice that will resonate deeply within you, no matter who you are or what you’re going through.