Every so often a song comes along which leaves me speechless. 'Through' is one of those songs. Carla Aakre is a Helsinki-based singer-songwriter who has a profound and rare ability to focus in, very closely, on small details – brief, fleeing moments and gestures which paradoxically say so much.
With a piece of music like this, I sometimes need time to let it sink in. There's an immediate reaction when I listen and am struck dumb; but I need to give some time and space before I come back and try to write something vaguely coherent.
'Through' begins (after a moment of studio chatter) with softened piano chords, accompanied by minimalistic drums and the hint of a violin note. That sound of strings is like a hanging moment of suspense, held in the air, balancing on the edge of something yet unexplored. It's an unrequited promise, a faraway glimpse of beauty.
The remainder of the song develops in subtle waves, delicate rises and falls which lull us through the almost unbearable, radiant light of this music.
It's all so beautifully crafted, so wonderfully rounded and melodic. And yet, suspend your emotions and focus carefully on the music if you can: it's strikingly simple. The chord pattern is short and frequently repeated. The drums are richly organic - you can almost feel the crispness of wood on dulled metal as the hi-hats tick along - but scrupulously careful, never fancy or overblown. That singular note on the violin only occasionally builds into more fulsome, rising strings.
Carla's murmuring vocals are incredible: there's a pinpoint ability to express emotions so subtle and nuanced that you may never have considered them before.
The words we hear are reflective and also often repeated, opening small windows through which to view life's overlooked moments. It's hard to know if this song tells of a microsecond experience or of something felt over lifetimes. What’s certain is the hope delivered… “we’ll make it through”. That's the paradoxical, fragile and very special world Carla creates.