"In Your Dreams" starts
Wild Go with something that sounds like it could be from 1950, 1920, or 2010, and that's almost certainly the point with
Dark Dark Dark. There's enough in the way of jaunty piano, cool, mid-20th century vocal jazz ensemble sass courtesy of lead singer None Marie Invie, rumbling drums, accordion, and violins to show that even if they don't want to be called gypsy punk or neo-cabaret, the impact of groups like
Gogol Bordello and
the Dresden Dolls can still be felt in differing ways. Hearing things like the merest hint of feedback bubbling up and away in the background of "Daydreaming"; letting brushed cymbals, piano, and Invie's vocals take the lead, helps underscore the idea of rock & roll as an element, rather than a central idea. "Celebrate," with its slow, sweetly weary flow of squeezebox and lead/backing vocals making up most of the song, is as representational of the past as anything else, while "Say the Word" seems like it could be from a vaudeville routine, at least when it comes to a slow and quite happily sentimental part of the evening: even if the ethos is just as much from the indie rock fascination with theatrical singalongs via high school drama productions, this actually has a little spirit of its own. In contrast, "Something for Myself," with piano and strings leading the way, feels like a descendant of lusher realms of more recent melancholia by
Tori Amos or
Daniel Lanois. Hearing Marshall LaCount's occasional vocal turns highlights how good Invie is in contrast; if his hesitance on "Heavy Heart" and "Right Path" fits the mood of the songs, her harmonies add some heft but feel a bit slight compared to some of the more magisterial performances around them. ~ Ned Raggett