Literary folk-pop delivered with coffeehouse warmth and sundae sweetness, "Little Films" is an album of subtle charms. So subtle, in fact, that you'll be win over by it without realizing it. Vanessa Peters (http://www.vanessapeters.com) has a voice like Beth Orton or Dido; it has an understated beauty that colors the lyrics with feeling and personality but doesn't jump in your face.
The title track offers summertime college-radio jangle with intriguing, enigmatic lyrics. Peters' words are like splintered pieces of a puzzle; put them together and you start to see stories unfolding in your brain. The song seems to address emotional distance from a parent and the pain which comes from remembering better days. The "Little Films" are childhood memories ("playing catch with you at a stoplight") uncovered, vague recollections of long ago that continue to haunt an adult mind in sharp, obscure fragments. "No Sense" seems like a continuation of the tale as the narrator attempts to describe a lost loved one, possibly a father. They're both wounded, heartfelt confessions.
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Peters is a true poet. These are not pointless, angst-ridden diary chapters. They're revealing, wonderfully written tunes that move and delight the ears.
Much of the album is best suited for rainy days, especially the dreamy "Love Story" and the Gothic romance "Anti-Hero," wherein Peters is wooed by a vampire.
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