Ira Lee is not usually an artist I find myself listening too, not because he is terrible at what he does but his work has never really excited me and on occasion I feel myself confused at what style he seems to focus on. That was, however, until I stumbled upon ‘Drinking Alone in Paris’ featuring Scream Dream Baby late last week.
The construction of a variety of instruments including a harmonic, piano, banjo, pipes and guitar, set this song in a very melancholic sphere and immediately divides it from any other recording I’ve ever heard by Ira Lee – The differentiation of the piece immediately caught hold of my attention as it seemed quite a brave choice for Ira Lee to branch into new and otherwise unattempted waters. After the mood is set the vocals kick in which are particularly interesting. Although they are based widely on the repetition of the line “I’m going back to Paris with a gun in my hand” they certainly strike a chord, telling the story of the anguish suffered from a separation and remind us that complicated structures and lyrics are not always the best way to create music but often the simplicity of saying what you mean has an even greater effect. The production of the piece is really what gives it the wow factor, mixing a blend of cannon and echo effects on the vocals and the transitional shifts through fades of instruments that dip in and out of the track. All in all I feel this is a very intriguing piece that holds a spell binding and emotional key through it’s simplicity and rawness in attitude towards the target topic! Keep an ear out for the final whisperings of Scream Dream Baby that really sound the track off.
Certainly worth a listen:
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By Dan Waller
Dance Yrself Clean
