I have listened a few times. My initial reaction was that it simultaneously sounded very busy, but very simple at the same time, if that makes sense. I definitely like the song. But I feel like it's too early to form any very strong opinions. I had seen some of the comments making comparisons to Outcry, which intrigued me. When I heard the riff on the first verse (starting at about :50), it was pretty clear why people were comparing it to that song. The similarities are striking. Then when the keyboard solo kicked in at about 3:25, I said to myself, "Okay, this song is like Outcry's little brother!"
Definitely some strong musical connections there. A few other things that jumped out at me:
-The chorus felt (and feels) a bit out of place. The rest of the song mostly has a very dark vibe, but in the chorus, it takes on a very, almost-happy, major chord feel. And that's fine. But I kind of felt like, for it to really work and be a moment, it had to have a bit more power and "oomph!" that it was lacking. Part of that is the way James performed it. Not that he's doing anything "wrong" or singing "badly." No, his singing is fine. But it sounds like he is singing completely head voice without belting it, and even if he isn't, Jordan's "light, airy" keyboard patch during that part and him directly harmonizing with the vocals I think unintentionally takes away some of the power that part could otherwise have. Maybe after the song gets more time to sit with me, I won't feel that way. That's really the only minor "gripe" (if you want to call it that) that I have with the song.
-The song manages to sound complex and simple at the same time. Which is a really interesting accomplishment. It kind of feels a bit on the short side, but I think I was predisposed to feel that way given my premature feelings about the song lengths of the album as a whole.
-Some of the riffage is HUGE. Some of the standouts are that riff after the keyboard solo that follows the first chorus. LOVE that riff! The one at 3:14 is tasty as well. And then the one at the end that we heard in the teaser clip, which shows up at about 5:17...that one has been stuck in my head.
-Along kind of similar lines as my previous point, there are some cool moments throughout the song where DT uses one of their signature elements: Taking a musical idea and using "orchestration" techniques to open it up when it is revisited later in the song, and putting slight variations on it to make it bigger, more complex, and "hookier." For example, they do this with the opening riff after the acoustic intro. That part, to me, sounded a bit overly simplistic at the beginning of the song. But when it shows up later in the song, it is opened more more, more varied, and just sounds both meatier and more groovy. I love that they do that. And the fact that it is executed so frequently and so well in such a short song is a pretty cool feat.
-The video itself is really cool. I like the splits creen effect. I like the interjection of shots of them just having, goofing off, and...prepping FOOD! I like that everyone is so casual. You don't see the band in full wardrobe with perfectly groomed hair. Nope. T-shirts, hair pulled back, just being in the studio and letting it rip. It has a very..."comfortable" vibe to it. Yeah, it may not really tell a story that fits the vibe of the song. But all the fans know the band has been locked away in the studio just enjoying their time writing music, and this video felt like a nice payoff to the fans that have been following in anticipation of the new music. I like that a lot.
Topic: Distance over Time - New Single "Untethered Angel" (Read 46929 times)
