| Now It’s Overhead has more than once evoked the term “dreamy.” Dark Light Daybreakis not exactly an exception – it’s awash in the band’s signature moody layers and wall of guitar. But if the previous two records were dream-like, Dark Light Daybreakis more akin to waking up. Providing by one turn a desert-highway soundtrack, by another, a heartrending nostalgia for a moment just past the edge of memory, Dark Light Daybreakis sharp around the edges, with each song’s elements as distinct as the whole. Asyncopated beat pops against an insistent bass line. The comforting patter of a keyboard is unsettlingly punctuated by overdriven, discordant voices. And throughout, Andy LeMaster’s reedy vocals, as diverse an instrument as any on the album, are as true in a fragile harmony as they are on a soaring, cathartic chorus. Whether delivering an acidic indictment or a hopeful sentiment, voice combines with lyrics to speak the collective experience of individuals. Now It’s Overhead’s latest offering sees LeMaster’s seasoned production skills synthesizing songwriting and recording, letting space and clarity serve as a thread of tension that runs through the album and unifying songs that range from stark to symphonic, buoyant to tragic. The range of Clay Leverett’s drumming and the variations of Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink’s vocals shine through, adding to each song the expertise of musicians who stand back, listen, then bring exactly what needs to be there. Dark Light Daybreakruns the songwriting gamut, leaving not a moment to be missed. |
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