Amber Run and Lone Survivor

Today I have an incredible beautiful song for you by Amber Run.This is a band out of Britain and I won't lie, is one of those bands that you can tell is European. That all comes from the style that their music encompasses. This song has that cloudiness darkness that seems to shroud a lot of English musicians. There is this sense of everything being on grey scale, where everything is some shade of black and white. What makes this band really shine and stand out though, is the vocal harmonies. I haven't  heard anything that is as complex with harmonies except for the work done by Imogen Heap. There is an incredible intricacy to the vocal harmonies and layers that can win over any music listener. There is something euphoric about the way the vocal harmonies work. It is what brings the lighter shades to the seemingly darker song. It is uplifting and almost even a little heart warming. The haunting nature of the vocals are accompanied by soft and plinking piano. This is a very passionate song, one that is full of confused emotions, but still full of feeling nonetheless. Amber Run takes this song to a level of beautiful melancholy with the way everything comes together. The lyrics are wonderfully written, expressing a deep and intuitive understanding of how we sometimes feel lost. The song is full of big chorus and almost anthemic sounding pop. But I love how the beginning does not require a lot of musical filler. It is mainly focused on the vocals, establishing that more somber and emotional tone. There is so much power in the song though, despite the fact that this is a slowed down and more mellow song. This is a song with a pulse, and there is an overwhelming power that washes over you. It isn't a soulful power or an energetic kind of power. It is the pure rawness of the vocals that really give this song something spectacular. The layered harmonies don't stay soft either. They project and almost bellow to be heard along with the rest of the layered harmonies and main melody. That gives this song that feeling of a pulse, strong initial vocal pushes that taper off to something softer and more vulnerable. Now Amber Run has received some mixed reviews, but I for one really do enjoy the music produced by the band. Their debut album recently was released, so I plan on going back and finish listening to their portfolio. Hopefully it is just as hauntingly stellar as this masterpiece. Today's instrumental song is from the movie Lone Survivor. This was an incredible movie, one that left me very moved. It is a rather political movie, so I suggest checking out the trailer before deciding to view the film or not. But this score is so unique and absolutely wonderful. This score was actually composed by a band that specializes in instrumental music- Explosions in the Sky. This also happens to be one of the best unknown bands out there. The music produced by the band, and for this film, have a very introspective theme to it. Even though the instruments are not your conventional orchestral ones, the music created by Explosions in the Sky is simply beautiful and inspiring. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!