By Koli Meadows

Over the past year Von Strantz has been releasing their Narratives EPs one at a time and finally in the start of 2015 we get to hear the third and final installment, Narratives Chapter III.  The Narratives EPs are great because they flow together perfect as full length, but are just as enjoyable as individual EPs.  The musicianship on these EPs is phenomenal. Personally I try to see Von Strantz as much as I can when they are in the Columbus area, because the quality of their EPs is only matched by their live show. With Jess Von Strantz leading the way with her commanding vocals you can tell great things are in store for this duo.

The track that stands out the most to me on Narratives III is “Cigarette Smoke.” The dynamics throughout the song make it impossible to do anything besides give your full attention to the experience. The lyrics bring you into one of the most honest and raw choruses I’ve heard. The whole song has so much heart, which is one of the things I love about Jess’s voice. When she sings she makes you feel exactly what she wants you to feel in that moment. I wasn’t sure if that was something that would be transferred onto the recordings, but she did it!

Another song that really stood out to me was “On To You.” This song is such a great folk tune. Finger snaps, catchy piano, and an amazing strings section are the things that really make this a catchy little folk tune.  The cat and mouse game you feel is going on in the lyrics make you feel playful, and ever so slightly uncomfortable. Even with slight commiseration for whoever got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. You also get the triumph of being one step ahead of an opponent.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/183659196″  /]

Narratives is a perfect name for these EPs, because each song is a narrative. I love that about the writing style of the Von Strantz, they are amazing storytellers with music and to me that’s what Folk music is. People traveling around telling stories and that’s exactly what you get with Narratives III. For me this whole set of EPs are great to listen to when you have time to be attentive to what all is going on in each track. You would be surprised at the imagery your mind will come up with when you let it focus on what it’s taking in.

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