Sounds of The City
By The Dykeenies
'Sounds of the City,' the first single to be lifted from Scottish four-piece The Dykeenies forthcoming second album, is a strings-infused piece of emotional rock that may occasionally slip into comfortable, cliche territory, but for the most part delivers the goods.
Firstly, ninety percent of this song is fleshed out with four lines of lyrics. Why this should be the case is anyone's guess, especially when The Dykeenies have crammed in quivering strings, epic synths and clamouring-to-be-heard, desperate-sounding riffs, to ensure this song carries a hard-hitting musical punch. The Dykeenies fail to fully capitalise on this stirring, lovingly-created backdrop, by neglecting to write any decent lyrics.
Secondly, occasionally The Dykeenies take the easy, cliched way out. Having their vocalist slowly sing the final line (lifted from the chorus, of course) over quiet, quivering strings, feels like a bit of a cop-out.
But, musically, 'Sounds of the City' more than compensates for these shortcomings, opening with a flawless, slow-burning intro that suggests The Dykeenies are building up to something dramatic, polished, and epic. And they do, as those thumping, build-up drumbeats and strings are engulfed in crashing riffs, urgent vocals and dramatic, pointed drumbeats.
There is an inherent safeness and a slightly conservative, radio-readiness to 'Sounds of the City,' and the empty lyrics will prevent it from making too much of an impact on the listener but, musically, this song gets the dramatic, rock ballad sound spot on.
