Monday’s Purchases
(L-R: City and Colour, Death Cab for Cutie, All Time Low)
City and Colour
Monday 6th June was a day I was particularly looking forward to as it signalled the release date of Dallas Green’s third full-length album, Little Hell, under the City and Colour guise.
A far cry from the pounding bass lines and thumping drums of Alexisonfire, where for so many years he has found international respect, City and Colour has always acted as Dallas’ raw ‘artistic’ release. A pseudonym allowing him to showcase his impeccable vocals and heart-felt lyrical brilliance.
Recorded entirely on analog tape at the Catherine North Studio, a converted church in Green’s native Ontario, Canada, Little Hell ultimately signals a progression on this solo journey, with Dallas often putting down the acoustic guitar and venturing down a more experimental and ‘bluesy’ route.
Although, that’s not to say this is a complete breakaway from its folky predecessors, it’s just a very difficult album to actually pigeon-hole and classify.
Tracks “Northern Wind” and “O’ Sister” quench the thirst for the traditional sound we have grown to love City and Colour for, whereas lead-single “Fragile Bird” and “Weightless” demonstrate the creative growth of one of the greatest (and under appreciated) singer-songwriters of our generation.
Whilst some may be disappointed at this change in direction, ultimately Dallas Green is at a different point in his life, his career and so are we as fans.
“You should always evolve and try new things and I think that there’ll be people who are upset that it’s not just a record of really sad, longing acoustic songs, but then I also think people will be like ‘It’s cool, he’s trying to go different places.” (D.Green 2011)
“I’ve been making records long enough that I know there’s going to be people, no matter what you put out next, they’re not going to like it, because they’ve moved on.
As a listener, somebody will put out a record and you don’t like it. But you don’t realise you’ve moved on to a different stage in your life as well. Maybe, because that last record you were so emotionally invested in, this persons new record just doesn’t resonate with you the same” (D.Green 2011)
Little Hell is a musical masterpiece and should be appreciated as such, but there won’t be any sleepless nights had should you fail to embrace it.
“There’s no pressure on me writing a song and hoping someone likes it, the pressure is me writing a song and hoping I like it.” (D.Green 2011)
Lyrics: 8
Musicianship: 9
Reviewer Tilt: 10
(Stand out tracks: We Found Each Other In The Dark, Weightless, Little Hell)
(more to follow…)
