The world is a particularly scary place once you stop and consider the odds. You’re never going to win! You might as well just quit the game entirely, and find yourself something to do away from it. At least, that’s what basic math will get you thinking.
It’s never been easier to be fatalistic than right now. What recent events, which have included disease, war, and natural disasters, have done for many is make them believe that they are not, in fact, protected. Rather, they are at risk at all times, and there’s nobody rushing to come to their aid. That’s enough to either drive you bananas or help you write some songs about it.
The brilliantly Yoko and John Lennon-inspired titled War Is Over have chosen the latter. But by the sound of their EP, “More Than a Number,” fighting against pessimism has been a colossal undertaking and one which the dup, occasionally, lost.
The EP’s opening, self-titled track, is musically a poppy acoustic folk number that will mind the singalong qualities of songs by the likes of The Lumineers. But it’s a very open sound, the kind that might make one dream of better days.
A similar positive-minded philosophy can be found in the equally well-sung “Worth the Wait,” a folk song featuring splashes of colour courtesy of economical piano and violin playing.
And the short, direct “Meet You By The Sea” is a romantic love song, the kind that somebody who has been missing affection for a long time might dream of experiencing.
But don’t go and confuse War Is Over for mindless optimists. They know what’s going on and how long people who want to escape the brutality of the world must fight. “Iron Bound,” despite its giddy percussion, sounds mournful. “The Wire” features a commercial sound but works with melancholy. And the EP’s closer, “The Nighttime Comes,” talks of love as a precious, almost extinct thing.
War is Over like big choruses and crowd-pleasing poppy sound led by acoustic guitars. But, they’re also aware enough of what’s going on in the world that they are taking stock and commenting earnestly on what they see and feel. Nobody could ask for more than that.
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