Saturday, August 29, 2009

Shining A Light Into The Darkness

Those Midtown Dickens have gone and grown up on their new album "Lanterns". In 2005, they started out as a duo and have now assembled a band with a full cast of characters. This album has a more traditional sound but it is not any less charming than "Oh Yell".

Art is so much an outward expression of our lives, clearly we hear that they have become more seasoned with the pains of falling out of love and learning that people are not always as nice as the grin plastered on their face. The songs are not bitter, but you know there is some winking going on as Kym Register sings on "It's Alright", "We break up and I write you a love song. I was writing it all along." A sad song, but so upbeat in tempo, that you cannot stop yourself from stomping your foot and singing along. The mandolin really keeps that upbeat tempo rolling. Yeah, just try and stop yourself from saying, "Yee haw!" Catherine Edgerton still soars on this album, her voice has become even more powerful as you can hear on "Old Dogs".

The Midtown Dickens have definitely left the songs about holding hands and ice cream behind on this album. Maybe a little sadly, they have learned some heart-wrenching lessons, but these best friends have learned that they do not have to ask for the other to hold their hand. They now know that it is automatic.