DarkBlueWorld
Country of origin:
Canada
Type of music generally:
Dark, mellow and poetic progressive / alternative pop cabaret with an occasional hard edge.
Status:
Most recent release, the perilous beauty of madness (2009)
See also:
DarkBlueWorld's Facebook pageThe Drip Audio page for DarkBlueWorld, with reviews linked at the bottom.
Elizabeth Fischer's recordings archive—ef's ongoing project to catalogue her earlier recordings for free download.
Elizabeth Fischer's personal / art site .
The Guide entry for Animal Slaves, Elizabeth Fischer's band from the late 1980s.
Comparisons:
Elizabeth Fischer's voice is reminiscent of Marianne Faithfull or Diamanda Galas.
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Dark and melancholic, intelligent poetry delivered in a raspy, powerful and very individual voice. Elizabeth Fischer has one of those strong, raw and rather atonal voices that you either love or hate; personally i love it. The band's music is rich and engaging, jazzy and rhythmic and multi-textured, and likely to catch you by surprise with some of its twists and turns. The overall effect veers between progressive rock and cabaret, with an overall mellow, laid-back feel. (damon)From the band's promotional material:
DarkBlueWorld has a keen ear for unusual rhythmic textures and an uncompromising approach to music making, constructing songs of an artful simplicity, originality and inherent beauty.
Vocalist Elizabeth Fischer, guitarists Ron Samworth and Tony Wilson, drummer Skye Brooks and electric bassist Pete Schmitt have collaborated since 2002 to create a body of work of striking poetic and musical quality—individualized, intelligent expressions intended to communicate the complexities of human experience. Their songs are direct yet sophisticated in their lyrical and musical conception. Often acerbic and darkly satirical, emotionally layered with subtly complex harmonic and rhythmic turns, DarkBlueWorld is music that speaks with courage and conviction.
The music of DarkBlueWorld is influenced by The Fall, Bertold Brecht, Astor Piazolla, Son House, Nirvana, Patti Smith, Elvis Costello, Leonard Cohen, The Slits, Charles Mingus, The Gang of Four, Tom Waits, Diamanda Galas, King Crimson, Television, Hank Williams, Cassandra Wilson and many other unrepentant, radical neo-romantics. The singer, Elizabeth Fischer, was born in Hungary, and cites incredibly depressing obscure Hungarian village music with which she regales her bandmates while giggling maniacally.
Recommended first album:
Dark Blue World
Recordings include:
- Dark Blue World (2006)
- the perilous beauty of madness (2009)
Dark Blue World
Release info:
2006—Drip Audio, Maximum Music Group, 435 West Hastings St., Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Availability:
See web site for availability
Ecto priority:
Highly Recommended
Group members:
Elizabeth Fischer—vox
Ron Samworth—guitar
Tony Wilson—guitar
Skye Brooks—drums
Pete Schmitt—bass
Guest artists:
Jesse Zubot—violin
J. P. Carter—trumpet
David Roundell—accordion
Peggy Lee—cello
Steven Nikleva—guitar
Produced by:
Elizabeth Fischer and Greg Reely
Comments:
A powerful debut album for a new band formed of some old souls. Each song on here is meticulously crafted; from the immediate hooks of "Warm Coat" to the satirically campy "Church of the Blind" or "Well Oh Well", from the hypnotically haunting "Evening Wolves" to the plaintive "Displaced Persons", each one tells a tale, and tells it powerfully.
Thematically, the album tends towards the depressing and resigned, but with that strange feeling of liberation that comes with accepting the worst, as explicitly summed up in the last lines of "Mélancholique":the moving truth about hellIt's a great album that rewards active listening late at night, but is also mellow and hook-laden enough to have on in the background while you're doing something else. Highly recommended. (damon)
is the perverse freedom that derives
from knowing there is no happy end
that the world is going to break you
eventually
Thanks to (damon) for work on this entry.
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