Dark Dark Dark Impresses Once Again
Dark Dark Dark has released Who Needs Who to the masses, and it is being met with rave reviews. Fans will be getting what they expect from this album and then some. The trademark sound that endears the band to its fans flows throughout each song. The haunting vocals of Nona Marie Invie will grip your heart and squeeze it with each poetic lyric she sings.
Fans will be glad to know that they are getting a lot of bang for their buck with this album, as there are eight songs that are over four minutes long, 3 over five minutes long, and the entire album maxes out at 44:07. Despite the massive amount of material Dark Dark Dark provides, however, each song seems to end too soon and leaves you wanting more. Yes, the album is that good.
Each track in Who Needs Who transitions seamlessly from one to another and the album as a whole transitions flawlessly from Dark Dark Dark’s last album, Wild Go (2010), so if you were a fan of that album you will quickly fall in love with this one. Nona Marie Invie doesn’t hold back emotionally in this album unlike in Wild Go, where she left much of the interpretation up to the listener. Her lyrics are nothing short of poetic genius, and they will cut straight to your heart. The entire album paints a vivid retrospective as well as introspective picture, which more often than not left me feeling deeply empathetic to Nona’s feelings.
Here’s my track by track review/random thoughts of Dark Dark Dark’s third full-length album, Who Needs Who.
Track 1 - Who Needs Who
The title track of the album, Who Needs Who, has elegant, beautiful piano throughout the entirety of the song. The song is soft, even a little soothing despite the fact that it also gives off a sad, somber type feeling simultaneously. As many fans would expect, there is a good deal of harmony. The standout of the song, however, is the abrupt carnival-esque change the song makes at about the 2:46 mark. It’s as if Who Needs Who suddenly morphs into a different song, and then slowly shifts back to the original slow, soft song it started out as.
Track 2 - Tell Me
Pulsing yet graceful piano intertwined with a rhythmic drum beat and lightly distorted guitar accompanied by haunting backing harmony slowly build to climax by the end of the song.
Track 3 - Last Time I Saw Joe
This quirky, fun song relies on a bevy of instruments, including trumpets. It has an almost marching-style beat to it. I found it to be the most upbeat sounding and feeling of all the album’s songs. The soft harmonies combined with the drums nearly put me into a trance-like state of mind. The trumpets added a nice touch as well. The abrupt ending was the perfect way to finish the song.
Track 4 - Patsy Cline
Soft, elegant piano mixed with more harmony. In a unexpected twist, rather than Nona Marie Invie providing her own harmony, Marshall LaCount provides some deeper, male-driven harmony. In many ways I found this song would make an excellent 2nd half to Daydreaming, off the band’s last album, Wild Go.
Track 5 - Without You
Finally making an appearance, the accordion! The thing I love so much about Dark Dark Dark is their use of the accordion in their songs. It’s not an instrument many bands utilize despite the wonderful sounds that it can create. And the way that Dark Dark Dark uses it in conjunction with this Jazz-type song creates a spooky and uneasy vibe that is both catchy and addictive.
