Sarah Neufeld's Swooping, Minimalist Pop

Violinist Sarah Neufeld is best known for invigorating Arcade Fire's cinematic rock with her kinetic, slashing strings. But she's also an accomplished and daring solo musician, whose 2013 debut Hero Brother explored minimalist classical impulses, featuring vocalizations over the repetitive driving patterns of Steve Reich and more traditional, folky cadences. Neufeld has returned with The Ridge, which retains the purposeful minimalism of her first record, but shifts its subtle focus to pop song structures — and even features a drum beat here and there. Hear Neufeld talk about and play songs from the new record, accompanied by frequent collaborator Colin Stetson (Arcade Fire, Lou Reed, Bon Iver) on lyricon.