Dark Mean self titled first album review

Dark Mean is a Canadian band who started recording their first self titled album in 2007 and released it in 2011. I always thought that recording an album can be a lengthy and difficult process, but not this long. The next task is for me to write a review about this album. It seems it is also going to be a lengthy and difficult process, but hopefully not more than a year.

First I would like to point out that this is going to be a difficult task not because of the band or their music, but because it is summer. Dark Mean‘s music will no way fit, or be associated with the sunny and crazy season of summer. One would associate summer with beaches, cocktails, clear blue sky, crystal clear sea, hard core parties and sleepless nights. On the other hand, Dark Mean’s music, apart from two particular tracks, is very tranquil, relaxing and must be enjoyed while sitting in front of a fire place and sipping some strong homemade scotch. So imagine you’re in a cottage in the Scottish highlands, while the snow is gently caressing the cottage’s roof. If you can’t detach yourself from reality and touch imagination, turn on the air conditioner to the max to chill the room. Please note that we are not responsible for your expensive electricity bills.

When I asked the band how come it took them so long to record their album, they said “It’s been four years filled with unusual obstacles, unanticipated excitement and devotion.” Dark Mean might have taken a pretty long time to record a complete studio album, but I have a positive feeling and know why it took them so long. One does not spend four years on a project because he or she spends their time staring at the ceiling, or picking up their nose. Four years is a very long time, especially if you have to spend them in jail, or living with someone you don’t get on well with. I honestly believe that Mark Dean, Sandy Johnstone and Billy Holmes, or as we know them Dark Mean, are perfectionists, or geniuses. For years, especially since I’ve started Muzikablog I’ve heard many different albums and extended plays. Irrelevant of the music genre, I’ve never heard such a polished and mature first album. I’ve never heard Dark Mean before, but their sound and music writing skills very sharp. Even the atmosphere they create with their music, it can be cut with a knife, like a prawn cocktail sandwich. It’s like the band has been coming a long way. In four years they already achieved what others managed to achieve in more than a decade. I would like to use a british band called Anathema as an example. Anathema started off as a heavy noisy band. More than a decade and a half later, these guys mastered the craft of music and today, as we can see from their last album We’re here because We’re here review, they are able to write well matured music, thanks to the extensive experience these guys have in writing music. It only took Dark Mean 4 years to achieve such an iconic status. Maybe because they use natural cork to keep their talent, and not screw caps like what wine companies are using nowadays.

Browsing, or as the younger generation says, hovering through the record, one can notice that the first track Algonquin is a quiet song, featuring mostly classic guitars and vocals. Happy Banjo (video featured below) and Smoke lake are two upbeat soft rock tracks. The Banjo featured in Happy Banjo fits perfectly in the song, while Smoke Lake got a kind of U2′ish catchy sound. This song won’t be played in a bar unnoticed, definitely. The next three tracks, Finland, Music Box and Lullaby are another three quiet tracks, which will definitely put you in a reflective mood. I don’t know which title song Dark Mean chose for this album, but Lullaby is definitely my favourite song, especially after the first two minutes. Again the banjo is featured, but the old “70′s Rolling Stones” type of vocals and choruses are mesmerizing. Even after listening to Lullaby for more than twenty times, it still sends shivers down my spine. The seventh track, Acoustic Song is self-titled. This song couldn’t have a better title. This time there is the inclusion of female vocals and harmonica, which helps you smother down the goose bumps you get after listening to Lullaby. After another two chillax tracks, where the banjo is also featured in one of them, it’s time for Old Man, the album’s last track. An instrumental track, with melancholic electric guitar riffs that give you that positive feeling. Imagine you’ve trained for 2 years to run a marathon and you place well in the marathon. If you had to do a marathon documentary video, at the end to emphasis your achievement you would use Old Man as an ending track.

From the bottom of my heart, a big well done to Mark, Sandy and Billy! I’m very sorry that like the recording of your album, this review also took its extended amount of time to be published.

Happy Banjo from Dark Mean on Vimeo.