I adored the last release I reviewed from Runa – ‘Are You Lost’ (read the review) – I feel the same way about ‘Can’t Talk’.
The first thing I’m drawn to is her voice; going from alt-pop breathlessness to full blown rock torch song. If that’s confusing you, I’ll get back to that in a bit. The way she delivers a lyric is so compelling; it’s a voice full of emotion and character. It’s a voice that tells a story.
So, the surprise in this song is that while it may start out as sinuous Nu-Souly alt-pop, you are going to be hit by a chorus that employs fuzz guitar and it’s loud, people. In a way, and you understand that this is an attempt to describe something that’s hard to describe, this track is a cross between Nu-Souly alt-pop and alt-rock. It does that quiet loud thing for sure. On the other hand it does sound rather retro in a kind of 70s huge ballad way; not that those would use fuzz guitar. Later, I have to admit that that guitar does something way way 70s. While this may sound all rather confusing the reality is that it sounds absolutely bloody fantastic, I don’t really care that it’s not easy to describe to slot into a reviewer’s musical niche; in fact that’s something of a joy.
Runa makes music that connects with your heart and soul. ‘Can’t Talk’ is compelling, dramatic, spell-binding and absolutely fabulous. This is so so good.
