Digit + Stas

Beginning in St. Petersburg, Russia and ending up in Brooklyn, Nastasia Avrutin's journey has taken her through the scorching heat of Jerusalem and the bitter winters of Edmonton. With this wealth of experience and inspiration, she has created the eclectic EP, Violet under the moniker Digit + Stas. The five-song collection has a worldly grandeur and an old soul's voice. Comparisons to Lana Del Rey and Sia will naturally occur due to her low voice and ethereal delivery.

The album erupts with a brass fanfare joined by Avrutin's equally brassy contralto voice. In the verses, her singing bears an interesting resemblance to the late Amy Winehouse, smoky and coarse. However, where Miss Winehouse would crescendo into R&B swoops, Avrutin takes a more primal approach. Her voice takes on a shamanistic quality imbued with centuries of history rather than temporary squabbles. Vocal layers roll and tumble over each other like a spell being conjured in the round.

The lead single, 'Doors' ups the ante with a clap-driven rhythm. Her ever rising voice draws tense chords backed by advancing strings. An ethereal breakdown offers a moment of reflection and frailty. It feels like Dead Can Dance being brought into the 21st century.

The closing piece, 'Celerity' shows the project at its most solemn. Avrutin plays the role of all-knowing mother. The narrator of an epic, telling of great deeds and terrible losses.

Violet speaks with a unified voice. The music bridges the gap between orchestral and electronic with brass and strings often cut with loops and punchy programmed percussion. The vocal effects did feel excessive at times as the lyrics were lost in overlapping delay and drenched in reverb. Repeated listening is required to catch the lyrics as one line sweeps away the last too quickly. Overall, it's a bold and inspiring album of melodies that connect far reaching destinations of the planet through the foundations of the earth.