Dark Matter Of Story Telling - The Battle With Self (12/11/2013)
Naming an album can sometimes be the hardest part of being in a band, and there are countless times where bands have gotten them wrong. Luckily for Dark Matter of Storytelling they couldn’t have got it more right.
It seems as if through the whole album the band is undecided as to what genre they’d like to slot into, which is understandable for a debut EP, but also why The Battle With Self is the perfect title.
If there’s any style that’s consistent in The Battle With Self, it’s the bluesy undertones that course through Run, Art of Darkness and Walking For Days. But within these three songs there is still heaps of variation. While Run is a hand-clapping toe-tapping blues song, Art of Darkness has a “beachy” vibe with a strong guitar. And then there’s Walking For Days, which has to be the best western soundtrack worthy song I’ve ever heard. As soon as the keys and guitar start off you can’t help but imagine a leather-clad cowboy walking through the Nevada desert clutching a Stetson to his sweaty head.
Aside from the strong blues influence the band clearly has, they’ve still left room for a little experimentation. Bad Leaves serves as homage to the classic rock songs you’d hear in the 80s. If you can see past the dull lyrics, the strong drumbeat and guitar riffs are actually pretty darn good.
For a first EP The Battle With Self isn’t actually half bad. But if it were sitting next to a Black Keys album I know what one I’d be picking. Perhaps with a little more finessing of their style and lyrics my selection might be a little different.
Amanda Sherring
It seems as if through the whole album the band is undecided as to what genre they’d like to slot into, which is understandable for a debut EP, but also why The Battle With Self is the perfect title.
If there’s any style that’s consistent in The Battle With Self, it’s the bluesy undertones that course through Run, Art of Darkness and Walking For Days. But within these three songs there is still heaps of variation. While Run is a hand-clapping toe-tapping blues song, Art of Darkness has a “beachy” vibe with a strong guitar. And then there’s Walking For Days, which has to be the best western soundtrack worthy song I’ve ever heard. As soon as the keys and guitar start off you can’t help but imagine a leather-clad cowboy walking through the Nevada desert clutching a Stetson to his sweaty head.
Aside from the strong blues influence the band clearly has, they’ve still left room for a little experimentation. Bad Leaves serves as homage to the classic rock songs you’d hear in the 80s. If you can see past the dull lyrics, the strong drumbeat and guitar riffs are actually pretty darn good.
For a first EP The Battle With Self isn’t actually half bad. But if it were sitting next to a Black Keys album I know what one I’d be picking. Perhaps with a little more finessing of their style and lyrics my selection might be a little different.
Amanda Sherring