In this section you will read my opinion about music and videos that I admire for their outstanding qualities.
This beautifully constructed track begins calmly with long cello notes and acoustic guitar chords, and soon Fleurie’s sweet voice joins both instruments (0:35min). One should notice the carefully applied effect (delay) on her voice, which creates an interesting ambiance. Although there is stereo separation, at first, most instruments and her voice seem to be in and around the center.
The slow paced instruments and voice continue without much rhythm or drums, but the track gradually gains momentum through the 2nd verse (1:00min to 1:37min).
In the 3rd verse (strings go to the right side whereas the guitar goes seemingly to the left) she says “there’s a sound that’s haunting my dream“, and she follows singing “oh, oh, oh“, maybe like the sound she heard in her dream (2:02min). It somehow reminds me of a wolf crying, although there is no mention to this in the lyrics.
At the last verse, she sings “there’s a heartbeat under my floorboard” and one can clearly hear the heartbeat, which starts giving rhythm to the song. The track keeps building up until…
…she says “There’s a black bird over my door singing never more, never more“. The words “never more” (which might be the singing of the bird) are then transformed into a long cry and reach the highest point of the song, where the drums, introduced by a crash, start giving the pace (3:01min).
Her voice and the long electric guitar solo with melismas are so well connected that it is difficult to perceive where one starts and the other continues. The song then quickly recedes with drum crashes and comes to an end, almost abruptly (3:24min).
The combination of acoustic instruments – cello and guitar – for most of the track is unusual. The song becomes even more interesting when the drums and the electric guitar join the acoustic instruments and her long vocal notes, reaching the climax, which doesn’t last long.
The video depicts both nature and sounds of birds, as well as the band playing in a cozy environment, as if she were remembering and telling someone her dream.
Also, the quality of the recording (mixing/mastering) is impressively clear and well balanced.
Claudio Meluzzi 