Sarah Neufeld – Hero Brother (2013)

After years of touring with Arcade Fire and providing them with some beautiful violin lines, Sarah Neufeld released a solo album called “Hero Brother”.The album is majorly solo violin with vocal flourishes and added samples from nature. Hero Brother is a grower, but upon multiple listens you will be transported to a medieval fairy tale world.
These 11 pieces (mostly for solo violin) range from just under two minutes to just over six.
They showcase her instrumental dexterity, the universality of her taste, and influences that range from Steve Reich’s early minimalism to Henry Flynt’s raga violin aesthetics to Appalachian fiddle music. In recording the album, Neufeld and producer Nils Frahm made use of various spaces, not only for their ambience and acoustics, but for textural elements that become immediately apparent as it plays. They include the orchestral recording hall at Studio P4 in Berlin, a parking garage, an abandoned geodesic dome, and Studio