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Staff IconDarker My Love - Summer Is Here (Cover Artwork)

Darker My Love

Summer Is Here (2005)
Tarantulas Records

Reviewer Rating:


Contributed by: Anchors
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Published on February 7th 2006


Darker My Love really have this quality of mystery to them. A dark aura, that really shrouds the entire band in their songs in a cloud of sorts.

It’s moody music, and vocalist Tim Presley’s voice, even when the tempo is kicked up a little bit, has such a melancholic, Robert Smith-esque feel to it. The rest of the musicians follow suit as well, each chord having extremely dark tones, the bass is deep and the drums slow and calculated. It’s methodical, mechanical, but strangely full of emotion. It’s almost a paradox, but one that isn’t full understood until the third track, as the first, although in keeping with the same vocal style is full of swarming dissonance.

The title track “Summer Is Here” is an uptempo, rocking track with jangly riffs and pounding drums, and the vocals, sounding still very dark and morose, appear in a very understated light. Almost lost completely under the fuzz and feedback, the followup track, “Helium Heels,” is a mostly instrumental track in which the vocals at the beginning are barely audible, opting instead to focus on all the cymbal crashes and heavy guitar fuzz. What can be made out of the vocals though, in contrast to the actual music, is extremely drawn out and depressing, but after about half the track it’s all instrumental, and it’s all loud, while managing to maintain that sort of distant, mysterious quality that the final song, “Catch,” really explores.

The slow, sprawling track offers a much more reserved, much darker look at the band's songwriting, and again here, the vocals are light and haunting, while everything else takes on a much darker tone than before, and this seems to be where they really feel most comfortable. The brooding melody is as engaging as each of the other two songs, although their ability to change things up bodes well for their overall songwriting craft.

Only three songs, yes, but three very enjoyable songs that should strike a chord with a lot of people.



People who liked this also liked:
Shot Baker - Shot BakerBurial Year - PestilenceBalboa / Nitro Mega Prayer - SplitAs Hope Dies - As Hope DiesThe First Step - What We KnowHaunted Life / Make or Break - SplitDead Hearts - Bitter VersesPath of Resistance - Can't Stop the TruthWires on Fire - Wires on FirePansy Division - The Essential Pansy Division [CD/DVD]

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    Anonymous (February 9, 2006)

    This score is for Mike Ness.

    cutepreppyemochic (February 9, 2006)

    benz--anyne--like from first to last?? their drummer rocks!!

    cutepreppyemochic (February 9, 2006)

    sounds pretty awesome!!!! Seriously!drumming rocks!!!!!!

    benz (February 8, 2006)

    Know what I hate. When people have to smoke weed to enjoy music.

    It probably means that the music is lame.

    "Oh man, you don't like the new Mars Volta? Man you gotta listen to it high. Sooo good."

    -benz

    Anonymous (February 7, 2006)

    these guys are rad. the only reason anyone would not like them is if they have never smoked weed.

    fistchode (February 7, 2006)

    I saw these guys open for the Distillers (yeah, I know), and i thought they were rad.

    the_other_scott (February 7, 2006)

    oh yeah also, in case anybody is keeping track. this has the drummer from nerve agents and distillers and some other people

    the_other_scott (February 7, 2006)

    saw these dudes with the drips last summer. they were pretty ok.

    TheOneTrueBill (February 7, 2006)

    Darker My Love is an awesome TSOL song but I dont' like these guys. Score is for TSOL.

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