Dark & Nightshade – Take The Halo Off
Modern rock is often great at reinterpreting and repackaging old sounds. We’re all for these strategies. But, although this may affect our punk-rock cred, we have to admit that the warm sound of classic keyboards has been the bedrock of many classic tracks. Do we nearly weep when hearing A whiter shade of pale? I am not ashamed to say that the answer may be “hell, yes!”. Skipped the light fandango, you say?
From talented blues musicians to Earth-scorching rockers, the medium of recorded music has always struggled with getting the excitement of hearing a great artist perform their work in front of an audience. On the other hand, somewhere around the late 1960s, a new direction appeared. Why did recording have to resemble a band playing live? Why not create something that could hardly ever be performed in a live setting. The keyboard and its descendent, the synth was pivotal in this regard.
Dark & Nightshade’s Take The Halo Off sounds like music made in the same mould. The song possesses the weightless grace of the Zombies, albeit updated for more modern trends and recording techniques. The tune is not merely something of a modern technological marvel. It’s also a highly enjoyable, engulfing pop tune with a clear, complex vision.
Grimson – I Hate Myself Now
Do you know why so many commercials for every sort of product under the sun look to utilize humour? Because humour, more than any other storytelling tool, sells. Do you know why there are places, like Germany, where humour is rarely used to sell products? Because when it does not work, and help yourself to a serving of German comedy to understand why the results are awful. Grimson’ I Hate Myself Now works.
When it works, humour has the property of helping the audience let its guard down long enough to hear a story. The story is the best way that we humans have found to communicate ideas and concepts, big and small.
The humour of Grimson’s I Hate Myself Now is subtle and charming in both the song itself and in its accompanying video presentation. The melodic vocals and the surf guitar certainly go a long way in proving this point. But, having the singer-guitarist of this musical project appears as a poodle dressed in a white suit may just be one of the most visually distinctive images you may have witnessed in a long time.
