LISTEN: Until They Burn Me — coven
Until They Burn Me is a collaboration between Cody Carlyle and Travis Jordan, who first played together more than 35 years ago in The Dry Season. They now write and record from home studios in Ferndale, Washington, and Cincinnati, Ohio. Their new EP, coven, was released on October 31.
As usual, I pick up my favorite song from the album and write about it. Today it's "Charlotte and the Witch". This song sends a whole army of goosebumps running down my spine the moment I hear the singer's incredibly deep voice. There's something almost supernatural about it. He sounds like a sorcerer who's got you under his spell. I've received tons of Halloween-themed songs lately, and many of them were musically brilliant, some were genuinely witty, but I have to admit that none of them actually scared me. And surely that's part of the point of making scary music? Well, this one is the real thing.
The voice is only part of the reason. The music immediately conjures up a beautifully sinister picture. The rapid banjo arpeggios scurry around like the very goosebumps I mentioned earlier, while the rhythm section has this peculiar mechanical quality to it. There's something relentless about that rhythm, as if the terrible events unfolding in the lyrics have already been decided and there's absolutely nothing anyone can do to stop them. I won't spoil the story, though. You need to hear it for yourself.
But, more than that, the song is incredibly fun! The brisk tempo and the cheeky offbeat guitar chops give it an almost absurdly cheerful bounce. It's the kind of merriment you might expect at a party thrown by the devil himself.
Listen to "Charlotte and the Witch" and the whole EP below:
As usual, I pick up my favorite song from the album and write about it. Today it's "Charlotte and the Witch". This song sends a whole army of goosebumps running down my spine the moment I hear the singer's incredibly deep voice. There's something almost supernatural about it. He sounds like a sorcerer who's got you under his spell. I've received tons of Halloween-themed songs lately, and many of them were musically brilliant, some were genuinely witty, but I have to admit that none of them actually scared me. And surely that's part of the point of making scary music? Well, this one is the real thing.
The voice is only part of the reason. The music immediately conjures up a beautifully sinister picture. The rapid banjo arpeggios scurry around like the very goosebumps I mentioned earlier, while the rhythm section has this peculiar mechanical quality to it. There's something relentless about that rhythm, as if the terrible events unfolding in the lyrics have already been decided and there's absolutely nothing anyone can do to stop them. I won't spoil the story, though. You need to hear it for yourself.
But, more than that, the song is incredibly fun! The brisk tempo and the cheeky offbeat guitar chops give it an almost absurdly cheerful bounce. It's the kind of merriment you might expect at a party thrown by the devil himself.
Listen to "Charlotte and the Witch" and the whole EP below: