(Guildwater Group) Wrapped in layers of ethereal sound with obscured vocals and booming instrumentals that slowly drift off into an empty void, Shaky is the most unique and cutting of Thayer Sarrano’s releases to date. While in the past it was fair to categorize Sarrano as a folk act with shoegaze influences, on Shaky, the lines have become blurred. Opener “How Can I Wait” features a heartbroken-sounding Sarrano singing over ambient synths; the track has no connection to the psych-folk sound for which she is known.
Later, the album does incorporate psychedelia, as well as a distinct country twang. But these elements are intentionally inconsistent, suggesting that Sarrano is not comfortable staying in one place for long. On songs like “Crease” and album highlight “Thieves,” the echoing guitar and percussion feel like something out of a half-remembered dream.
Though the details are private, Sarrano has acknowledged she was going through a rough period while creating Shaky. Her melancholic, mournful lyrics, as well as the patched-together instrumentals, paint a picture of someone picking up the pieces of her life after a tragedy. Though it may have come out of darkness, Shaky is the most hopeful and imaginative record of Thayer Sarrano’s solo career.
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