Based in Leicester, UK, the artist who goes by the name Fear The Dove released their debut this past summer. What started as a hobby that carried on for many years, eventually blossomed into a full-length album, Species Disconnection, all written, performed and recorded by the artist. Fear The Dove describes this first venture as being very low-tech in production and the style as dark alternative rock with a touch of the blues.
“Gutter Wrench” begins the album with a slow, sludgy and sultry sound. I wasn’t exactly sure what the artist’s lyrics were about, but the feeling and intensity within the song is so freaking beautiful and original – I had to take a breather before the second song. Vocally, I would say the singer could be compared to Lorde or Patti Smith or perhaps even Shirley Manson, but with a much deeper voice. “Descendi” has a slow-paced feel and heaviness to it that reminded me of Portishead or some other post-Goth band. And, in my opinion the low-tech production works extremely well for Fear The Dove and with just two songs in, I was already hooked. “Taste” goes even deeper and darker with a cross of goth and a sticky beat that’s punkish and industrial. The guitar solo screams just high enough with a dark, foreboding drippiness and the drums are heavy and dense, too – I loved it! “Bloodsucker” continues on with a dark vibe and a crazy good beat, that’s jumpy and tense. This one felt a little ‘80s new wave meets dark punk. I loved “Fever 34” for its intensely deep bass lines – thick and syrupy – and the beat of the drums, rich and murky. The artists’ guitar solo gets even better and experimental in this song. “Fish For Floods” is another song with a jumpy, tense off-beat that was great and kind of hypnotizing. “Stone Thing” breaks out strong with a hearty use of guitar chords, which at times I think two were overdubbed, and a tribal beat – both intense and full of energy. About three-quarters in, the song gets a little quiet and breaks into a free-form style and then ends with heavier sounds. “Uptide” is perhaps one of the slowest songs on the album and has repeating guitar chords as the main rhythm. The guitar solo on this one is quite good as well. “Nos” features a shuffle-like beat and plenty of crash cymbal action. Fear The Dove adds some clicking effects to the song, sounding something like glass. One of the songs that stood out for me was the very last one “Back In The Light” not only because it’s barely over a minute, but because all that’s heard is a vocal and a mandolin, or what sounds like one. It was a refreshing ending that I didn’t expect. Fear The Dove’s style is no doubt dark, heavy and slow-paced, but that’s what I found most appealing along with the artists’ unique musical arrangements. Production wise, I loved the low-tech approach and I thought it worked well without a single song sounding cheap or amateur. A few numbers stood out more than others, but overall, Species Disconnection is a solid debut. I hope to hear more from this UK artist.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Critique/insightWe are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.
Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook
Archives
May 2024
|