As Nuda Veritas, Rebecca Kopycinski makes minimalist folk, with an emphasis on layered vocal melodies (all her own voice, on loops). The backing music is a melange of acoustic guitar loops, simple synth lines, and percussive vocal loops, sometimes including ambient conversational voices underneath everything. If you’ve listened to Cocorosie, you have an idea of the aesthetic.
Kopycinski's lyrics are posted to her website, which is a treat because they are fantastic: constantly straddling the literal and the far-out metaphorical and hitting on homey domestic and relationship themes with a reflective tone that ranges from sad to tense to cathartic. Some songs on her new LP, Verses of Versus, are wordy, bookish songs in the tradition of folk music with something of a narrative. Others have very spare lyrics and feature lots of repetition and meditation on a single phrase or melodic idea. Both lyrical forms feel natural within the aesthetic developed on the album.
Kopycinski’s ear for a great vocal melody (Autonomy Isn’t Automatic has a hook that’ll give you chills) and knack for heart-wrenching lyrics keeps the album well within listening range for anyone who likes standard folk or indie.
--Alexander Pinto
