Veda Hille's 13th(!) CD, "This Riot Life", is a collection of 13 smartly played and wonderfully arranged epic chamber pop songs.
There's a jubilant, almost heroic, feel to these pieces. This is sunrise music that should strike a chord with fans of Polyphonic Spree (though Hill's compositions are not quite as frothy as the Spree's best known work). Overall it's quite lovely but this buoyant orchestration can become a bit overwhelming after awhile.
Like all good pop-smiths Veda is unafraid to raid whatever music cabinet she needs to. "This Riot Life" is sprinkled with liberal doses of folk and jazz. Even "world music" is folded into the mix, not surprisingly on "Rose of Sharon".
Perhaps the oddest ingredient is the inclusion of work based on songs from an early 1900s hymnal. None of these songs come across as devoutly religious but there is an undercurrent of hope and resilience in the lyrics that makes this collection sound like the Gospel of Life According to Veda Hille. Craftily her lyrics are by turns concise and dreamlike, providing hooks for both the ear and brain (another sign of pop mastery, always give the audience something to debate so the come back for more).
To cut to the chase: if you love clever, well crafted pop music there may be no better time for you to join Veda Hill's congregation.
