Southampton (UK) artist, Ben Dalby, has a new single out today and we’ve been taking many listens to it here at the Send Me Your Ears studio.
Season Of The Knife is the title of Dalby’s latest release and it is a song that speaks volumes about the state of the world we’re living in. A song which looks for hope when so many of the things we all became used to pre-pandemic were suddenly stripped away.
Season of the Knife starts and ends with a kind of Gotye feel to it (Somebody That I Used To Know) but then swiftly transitions into more of a Riders on the Storm (Doors) style track. Dalby’s vocals reminded us several times of Jim Morrison and the whole track overall feels as though it could have been lifted from the Doors era, with very much a 70s nostalgia feel to it.
The vocals in the track are very exposed and early on in the song where there is minimal instrumentation (mostly bass alone), the voice feels vulnerable and almost frightened for the future. It is a perfect fit for the message of the song.
Incidental guitars are well placed, and fill the gaps between the vocals, and some beautiful harmonies are added here and there as the song goes on.
Season of the Knife builds well and has lots to maintain the interest of the listener throughout.
Season of the Knife is a great retro feeling rock song with an important message. We personally feel that the production on this track is diverting attention from the beauty of the performance and the writing. The track is completely mono with no panning and no stereo elements in it, which is a shame because it feels like a song that you would want to put on with headphones and really chill out to.
To our own taste, we would also suggest a large wide boost in the master centred around 9kHz plus some additional top octave boost for presence and brightness. We’ve made a few quick adjustments here at the studio, to our own personal taste perhaps, but we’d really love the opportunity to show Ben what we can do beyond simply reviewing this beautifully written and performed track.
For lovers of Classic Rock in the style of the Doors, this track is a no- brainer. Ben Dalby has summed up how we’re all feeling about the past two years in a catchy song that carries just a touch of hope in amongst it’s angst and sadness. Beautiful!