The golden voiced Valerie Melina (Elin Tirén Vilhelmson) from northern Sweden returns with ‘Released from Reality’, and with a darker, more electro pop sound than we have been used to.
It’s a disturbing song lyrically. What reality is he being released from? It’s hard to tell if the subject is an inadequate loser, a controller, or even a psychopathic killer and that air of mystery pervades it, supported by a sinister bass line. The lyric “Blue lights in your eyes” might be interpreted in several different ways including the flashing ones of the Polis.
Musically, Valerie Melina often surprises me. There’s plenty of tune in ‘Released from Reality’ but what really makes the song for me is her sparing but on point use of vocal modulation, such as employing subtle melisma and seemingly varying keys within a single word or line of the lyric.
That can a risky thing for an artist to do when it isn’t necessary but Valerie is nothing if not adventurous. Here it works perfectly. Concentrate or you’ll miss it.
Again, an artist to watch.
Find her on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valerie.melina.artist/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsvaleriemelina/
