Seamlessly blending folk melodies, jazzy instrumentation and electronica, Past the Veil is a special fifth album from California singer-songwriter Shannon Lay.

In the album's opening line Lay sings "Bring us back to reality / Bring us back to love," setting up the lush contrast that define the next ten songs and 40 minutes. The album roles out in a dreamlike summery haze and your only anchor to reality is Lay's voice.

It's an instrument that's instantly ear-catching, a smoky alto that commands your attention not with its huge range, but through the steadiness of her delivery and the self-assuredness in her words.

Again there is contrast, as the words she sings explore questions of reality, past vs present, and human consciousness.

I know that any time I see words like "lush" and "dreamlike" describing an album, in the back of mind I worry it might all sound the same, but Past the Veil shows how to maintain a theme without becoming dull or repetitive.

"I Need More Water" puts a bow on the album like a lazy disco river, "Moving" has the sweeping grandiosity of a trip-hop classic, "The Calling" is all '70s folk-rock and Lay experiments on "Whom the Gods Destroy" and "Sky Song."

This is just the tip of the iceberg, every song on Past the Veil has something to offer and mysteries to unlock. -MK

This is a multi-part series on the impacts of incarceration — specifically the disproportionate rates of incarceration Native people face in the state, especially in Northern Minnesota.

KAXE's Larissa Donovan explored the underlying issues of the statistics through survey outreach, extensive research and in-person interviews.

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