I've really been delving into more new music and trying to embrace artists I see getting rave reviews on my social media sites. By chance, I came across City and Colour, and the song "thirst". I'd heard that their music was "so good" and I never really cared enough to listen. I'm glad I finally did, though.
City and Colour is the solo career of a man named Dallas Green. He used to be in the band Alexisonfire- who I'd heard of multiple times and passed by on one or two Warped Tour stages. It was always a matter of laziness when it came to becoming a fan of Green. I would hear little clips here and there, even a few full-length tunes. It's not that I didn't like it- I most certainly did- but it was never the right time, I guess.
"thirst" is definitely different. It's almost like if you took Black Keys, Bon Iver, and classic C&C I've dabbled in a little. Even as a casual listener, I can tell that City and Colour has shook things up.
The opening line captivated me: “When I think of fates worse than death, all I can think of is something you said.” The way his voice wraps around those words gave me chills. Dallas Green has a lovely voice that has a real songbird quality to it, which is what drew me in so much. Though this tune is a bit mainstream, I still love it. He has the voice of an angel and it makes me want to go and listen to everything else he's released.
You can really sense that the electronic sounds were carefully placed because they're not overpowering at all. It's like if Bon Iver decided to make a more pop album and drop the acoustic and falsetto. I’m all for musicians changing their sound, and I highly doubt C&C is ever gonna quit making the typical heartfelt and gut-wrenching tunes. This was a nice stray from the normal path that I feel the diehards should be appreciative of. I see a lot of “this sucks” by people who’ve “listened for years” and that upsets me. People grow up; musicians’ maturing is just a lot more audible. Plus, if you don’t like it, don’t listen.
Regardless, “thirst” has most certainly made me into a fan and now I’m intrigued to listen to more by Dallas Green. Maybe that was the point of this newer “mainstream” sound- to bring in more casual listeners. Well it definitely worked.