Backstrom-Dark Clouds (ft. Bart Topher)
Backstrom has returned to the fore with his EP, and it is bone-chilling. He has somehow managed to colour the canvas with dark, and the effect that unravels with it. The talented musician holds command over whatever genre he chooses to compose in. In his latest album Dark Clouds, he collaborates with Bart Topher to create a mood that can narrate a dramatic scene all in all. Backstrom has a relationship with the acoustic guitar that is more than the metaphysical. The instrument understands him and sets the mood. As a singer, he has the power of words, narratives and tales to tell. From when you listen to the opening single called Dark Clouds, you’re invoking an ambience that you might not be prepared for. His raspy voice dominates the soundstage, while painting the frame of mind to a set of visuals. Progressions are full, motivating, and his vocal choices will give you goosebumps. One More Time is the second track, and it has a dramatic flair of a protagonist to it. Backstrom is the eye in the shadow, almost feeling every tense muscle of the body. It is captivating, melancholy in parts and most importantly the essence of what is to come. The softer essence of From the Ashes will be a part to reminisce. Links to other vocal parts and melodies make it seem like a sequel, shrouded in the same symphony. When he chooses to rescind into the piano effect, his vocals shine brighter due to the minimal background. Daydreaming continues this odyssey to one of the most relatable moments of music for us as functioning humans. These are all the dreams that are desired, but never transpire. It has a dimensional depth that showcase how Backstrom can relate to personas and their several complex layers. If he is constructing a death mask of a protagonist with his lyrics, he does it well. The details, wrinkles and crevices created by age are observed well. He is the voice of the narrator, the musician watching in the background. The gifted observer, who can spin tales with emotions and his lyrics of depth. When you reach the raconteurs' paradise of Like The Night, you feel soaked in to the brush of his reality. He has not just created a mood, but manifested a world where you can express yourself as he and the figments do. This would be a great album in the second season of Jack Reacher. Somehow, mystery is a great strength to Backstrom, his raspy vocals and his demeanour as an artist. Bart Topher does an incredible job adding pigment to the background, swirling with essence and feel. Dark Clouds is his crowning achievement-but another chapter of a book that is being written.