The brainchild of friends Ryan Gosling (yes, that Ryan Gosling) and Zach Shields, Dead Man's Bones is an eerie project, steeped in ghoulish themes. The leading voice is Gosling's, who brings a sturdy baritone and some nimble fingers to the project. Behind him, a cast of voices from the Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir give the songs a haunting quality, which borders on morbid if they weren't so darn peppy. The use of a children's chorus is gimmicky on paper, but is buoyed by the use of echoes and the fact that they don't overstay their welcome in the songs, generally appearing in the choruses to push towards a crescendo. The end product sounds like children playing in a graveyard at times, but ultimately it's Gosling's baritone that reigns the songs in and keeps them and moving forward, to great success. If you've ever listened to the Langley School's Music Project of the 70's, you have a good idea of what to expect. If you haven't, you're in for a real treat. Here's a live video of one of the strongest songs off the album, entitled In The Room Where You Sleep
Dead Man's Bones will be playing the Middle East in Cambridge on 10/14 at 8pm
For an added treat, here's a video of the Langley School's Music Project which I referenced earlier in the review, covering David Bowie's Space Oddity :
Dead Man's Bones look pretty good, maybe I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteWait, will all those children be there?
ReplyDeleteOn the album, yes. With you in your car, no.
ReplyDelete