Lauren Bruno, a former student of the Berklee College of Music, is the lead singer and songwriter of Les RAV, which roughly translates to the call to action “do not refuse abundant peace.” With this project, Bruno constructs songs that are haunting and hopeful, melancholic but inspiring. The sparse instrumentation allows her vocals to take the lead while the piano chords follow along. Recently, Bruno has been performing Les RAV songs with accompaniment by a drummer, a violinist and an additional keyboardist. These additional layers add lush backgrounds to the songs, but I have been more drawn to the stripped-down instrumentation of recordings like “Darkest” (embedded below.)
Darkest ( first real recording! ) by Lauren Bruno
“Darkest” displays Bruno’s songwriting talent and unique vocal quality. I hear similarities to Joanna Newsom and Leslie Feist in Bruno’s voice and am definitely impressed by her vocal range.
Les RAV is a new project that has a lot of potential. I’m looking forward to seeing what Bruno and company evolve into in the coming months and years. They have yet to release a full length album, but OVRLD will keep you posted on their debut LP.
Come see Les RAV at Cheer Up Charlies this Saturday the 13th with Sky Jet Black, Bali Yaaah and Cry For Us Black Swans. I’m sure you’ll be enchanted by the rich songwriting and powerful vocals of Les RAV just as I have been.
-Dan