Photo by Cameron Wittig
Review by Jeremy Benson
If there is a recording that welds free-spirited, communal folk music with controlled, almost snooty musicality—if that's even logically and musico-politically possible—then it's Dark Dark Dark's Extended Play album, Bright Bright Bright. Led by Nona Marie Invie's unwavering vocals, the group's latest publication adds a classically trained piano to their traditionally folksy instrumentation.
Dark Dark Dark is another addition to the recently popular gypsy-folk scene, joining groups like Mucca Pazza, Devotchka, and Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros.The main tenants of the genre include accordions and Russo-Spanish horn features for sound, and wardrobes taken from Grandmutter's attic and the racks of Goodwill, filled out with scraggly beards and hipster headwear. And the more members, the better.
Certainly, Bright Bright Bright meets the requirements: Accordion? Check, all the way through. Russo-Spanish horn? "Make Time," a tango-like off-Broadway chorus number, features a dusty trumpet solo, so check. (As for the visuals, Dark Dark Dark has found every outfit and pair of eyeglasses the 1970s ever tried on. And although composed of only four to six relatively clean-shaven individuals, the band appears to like hanging out in large gangs of creative, organic neo-hippies, according to their album art and a trailer on their Myspace page for an "ongoing" film from band member Todd Chandler.)
However, any rough-necked gypsy sounds are outweighed by the piano, which introduces Bright Bright Bright on its title track. Accompanied by a cello and an accordion, the keyboard sets up the song's tent in the camp of Regina Spektor and early Tori Amos, rather than within the traveling troubadours' wagon circle.
But listen to the EP again, and a whole clown car of influences begins to stand out. Yes, there's the Eastern European cycles, and the piano, but there's frequently a jazz slant to Invie's voice, and the unison backup vocals have the feel of a musical (as in Rent or better yet, Fiddler on the Roof) arrangement. In "Something for Myself," Invie sings, "don’t pull me in; let me be," seemingly speaking to anyone trying to pull Dark Dark Dark into a single classification, and taking "gypsy" folk to its naturally rootless conclusion.
Dark Dark Dark will perform This Friday, April 9 at White's Bar on State Street in Saginaw at 9 p.m. Bright Bright Bright can be purchased and streamed at Dark Dark Dark's website, and more information can be found at Myspace.
© Jeremy Benson 2010