The self-titled album from Vivian Girls’ (QRO album review) bassist Katy Goodman’s solo project La Sera delivers mostly downbeat tunes, with winding gauzy vocals layered over a little surf guitar twang and ever-present tambourine. The album features pretty, mostly relatively simple little songs – none hits the three-minute mark – on such cheerful topics as death and tears. In spite of the dour topics, the record is largely a cotton-candy pink, sweet affair. With it’s airy, light-filled vocal effects and the high, ringing guitar on songs like opener “Beating Heart”, the cymbal-shimmering “Hold”, and the cute closer “Lift Off”, there’s a definite girlishness to this record.
The record has a very distinct sound – a not particularly unexpected one that will likely appeal to most Vivian Girls fans and anyone who enjoys resonant late-‘50s/early-‘60s guitar sounds with sweet female vocals, a light effects wash, and a dose of jangle. Certain elements are repeated in pretty much every song. “Oohing” and “ahhing” show up on at least half of the tracks, and nearly every song includes an instrumental break about two-thirds of the way through featuring a heavier and/or higher guitar. The vocals tend to wind up and down, like a slow waltzing tilt-a-whirl.
With all of these common motifs, it’s tempting to slip to the conclusion that this is fairly formulaic – if pretty enjoyable – stuff. Such a conclusion is not entirely unfounded, but there are some moments when the songs extend beyond the established pattern, and those moments are the most interesting and memorable on the record. “Left This World” takes a lighter tone with more of an acoustic, almost folky guitar sound. It’s charmingly twee. The slide guitar in “Under the Trees” plays nicely off of the deeper lead guitar and Goodman’s vocal cooing. Perhaps the highlight of the record, the single “Devil’s Hearts Grow Gold”, begins with a high-toned plucked guitar (a-la Siouxsie and the Banshees’ version of “Dear Prudence”) that leads into some of the most interesting vocal-guitar interplay on the album. The prominent bass line provides a reminder of Goodman’s usual specialty. The song is a bit more layered than others on the record. It makes use of everything in Goodman’s bag of tricks, and it’s a catchy tune.
Goodman’s first solo effort is not revolutionary, nor is it a revelation. But if you like Vivian Girls, Dum Dum Girls (QRO photos), lighter Cocteau Twins fare, or anything along those lines, La Sera is a nice listen.
