SOUNDTRACK: DARLINGSIDE-“Ocean Bed” (2020).
Today, Darlingside announced the release of a new song–a wonderful surprise–and an upcoming new album.
The basic sound of Darlingside doesn’t change (thank goodness), but on their last album, they mixed things up by throwing in some electronic sounds.
There’s no electronic sounds on this song (which doesn’t mean there are non on the album) but there is a lot more percussion than usual.
It opens up with some thumping drums. Is there a drummer? It’s more than the kick drum they usually use. Then comes the mandolin and some clapping. A smooth grooving bass slides in and then, as the voices come in, everything settles down into pure Darlingside.
The verses are individual voice but the bridges are gorgeous harmonies. The song moves swiftly with a percussion backing as the lead voices sing.
Then the surprise–the middle is practically a drum solo–with rumbling percussion and some kind of low pulsing note (is that secret electronics after all) that adds almost a sinister feel. But that segue leads right back to the mandolin.
I love that this song can sound so much like Darlingside and yet also shows them changing things up. In some ways it’s a step back since their first album had a drummer and their later ones did not. But this drumming and percussion is a very different sound. very exciting–how will they do it live?
[READ: July 10, 2020] “Black Mountain, 1977”
This issue of the New Yorker has a series of essays called Influences. Since I have read most of these authors and since I like to hear the story behind the story, I figured I’d read these pieces as well.
Donald Antrim’s essay is considerably shorter and much more harrowing than the previous one.
Antrim tells of the horrible situation that his mother grew up in. His mother’s mother was a cruel parent, carrying out “an aggressive campaign against her daughter’s body, even going so far as to advocate unnecessary surgeries for her only child,”
His mother’s father was a meek and cowed alcoholic who never stood up to his wife. (more…)
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We have seen Darlingside four times and they are always wonderful. But it has been five years since the last time we saw them.
We have seen Darlingside four times and they are always wonderful.
I Just Read About That... 