Darlingside – “Futures”
-Have you ever heard of these guys? Say… two songs ago? Anyways, I really like Darlingside .This particular track has their characteristic harmonies while also echoing this sort of Beatles-esque complexity in the string and backing track as well. I genuinely feel that if the Beatles were making music today, it would be along these lines. This is a great album .
Massachusetts in the winter is the perfect place to lock yourself in a living room next to a roaring fire, and Extralife, is the latest album by folk quartet Darlingside, is the perfect album to take with you. It’s crackling and warm like a hearth, soft and faint like the crooning of a breeze. But, it’s also an album that undoubtedly drives its own path, led by the earnest ardour of Dave Senft, Don Mitchell, Auyon Mukharji, and Harris Paseltiner. Each time you listen you will hear something new, as this inventive quartet gives us plenty to mull.
In Extralife you may recognize the characteristic roots of the modern folk sound. Inklings of Bon Iver, Lord Huron, and The Lumineers permeate this indie folk album. Extralife doles out low and rich vocal harmonies, humble acoustic guitar, and reverb-a-plenty. But wedged between these genre staples you might find something. unexpected
Extralife is a record infused with apocalyptic dread, a collection of campfire sing-alongs for the end of days. As well, it’s an oddly beautiful record, comfortable in its unsettling contemplations and rapturous.
They’re lovers, not fighters — four unrelated brothers whose friendship makes the music happen. History has certainly taught us that close friendships make some of the best music (think Lennon and McCartney), but when a band’s sound is forged in fraternity, they are left with the responsibility of creating a connection to make all listeners feel like a part of their brotherhood. To do this, Darlingside attempts to create a sense of place, a tangible mood manifested in hollow, dramatic, room-filling harmonies. Their nouveau “wall of sound” is a vehicle which draws in all those who can’t help but overhear.
Though working within the boundaries of the folk form, Darlingside is musically distinct, crafting a memorable brand of indie alt-folk. They are educated musicians with a sophisticated understanding of songwriting, consequently able to employ unconventional sounds and rhythmic tricks to pique interest in unexpected ways. In their lyrics, Darlingside are wordsmiths in the most literal form, collecting and assembling words into images that reflect the wildest wanderings of their imaginations, even inventing words that exist only in their futuristic, apocalyptic playground. Like fantasy-philes or astrologers, they peel back the layers of dreams with deft lyrical ambiguity. They sing these lyrics with the timbre of a tenor chorus in chant — not just one voice, but a symphony of voices. They sing for the sake of anyone who treasures uncovering meaning in their clouded surroundings.
The Fat Angel Sings 