Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Album Review: Dark Dark Dark -- Bright Bright Bright

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Dark Dark Dark will be playing at the Hi-Dive on July 19th. In anticipation for what will inevitably be an incredible show, I’ve decided to review one of my favorite recent releases, their brilliant new EP, Bright Bright Bright. Also, I’ll be sitting down with the band after the show, so look forward to an exclusive interview, and, hopefully, a video performance.


  Beginning with the prideful melancholy of the title-track, and continuing through to the mournful, yet hopeful, closer, a reimagined cover of Elephant Micah's “Wild Goose Chase”, Bright Bright Bright showcases a matured, and ultimately brilliant, progression for Dark Dark Dark. Moving forward from the shanty-folk of 2008’s The Snow Magic LP, DDD has managed bring forth the rich, ever-deepening hues that lurked beneath their previous works.

  The EP takes a decidedly more contemplative pace than their past releases, and it’s this stretching of time that allows the amorous woe of Nona Marie Invie and Marshall Lacount’s poetry, along with the growing strength in their travel-worn voices, to resonate more passionately than ever before; the spirit of their accordion-laced shanty song is still present, increasingly reaching new peaks, but it’s the blooming of slower, piano-based ballads that truly illuminates the fierce intelligence that they’ve always possessed.

  The album is undoubtedly cohesive, yet each of the 6 tracks holds an individual beauty; for example, allowing the back-vocal choir to support joyously in the uplifting, male-led “Make Time”, yet bending to heartbreaking depths in the female-led “Something For Myself”. Their poetry continuously morphs to intertwine with the shifting soundscape, carefully evolving, and resonating with an ardently verdant profundity.

  Somehow, with half as many tracks as their (fantastic) most recent LP, the Bright Bright Bright EP manages to defiantly outshine it predecessor, lifting Dark Dark Dark towards a reverberant new height of lush, lovingly mournful songwriting.

  Bright Bright Bright was released by Supply & Demand and the band's own Blood Onion Records on March 9th, 2010. The EP was printed on 12" vinyl, and can be obtained on-line or at the upcoming show at the Hi-Dive on July 19th (which I strongly urge everyone to attend; the band has gained a serious reputation for their acclaimed live performances, so you don't want to miss this oppurtunity).

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