Veda Hille

Vancouver-based songbird Veda Hille’s last album was a pop record about art. 1997’s Here Is A Picture (Songs For E Carr), inspired by the work of Canadian painter Emily Carr, was a lovely piece of work more song-based and accessible than one might expect for something commissioned initially to accompany a dance piece. Now returning, at least theoretically, to more “pop” material, Hille has made a lovely album best described as art rock. “I guess you rebel against what you’re expected to do,” she says by way of unnecessary explanation. The transformation between projects has added a new artistic weapon to her artillery — after writing the tribute using a cut & paste with Carr’s words, You Do Not Live In This World Alone is much freer in its storytelling than Hille’s earlier, more autobiographical work. “Up until the Emily Carr record, all of my music was autobiographical,” she says, “but that’s not true anymore. I enjoy that aspect of music — making all of it seem true even when it couldn’t possibly be.” Whether or not it’s fiction, the truth is very evident in this new work. More fleshed out musically than previous efforts by her band — “Now I get to be in a band and be in charge,” she quips — which includes Vancouver legend-in-the-making Ford Pier and a slew more instruments than the sparse-sounding record would have you believe. The title, You Do Not Live In This World Alone, contains a double meaning, according to Hille, of responsibility as well as reassurance, but this lovely album makes the world seem a little less lonely.