03/11/2024
Fantastic review of Nocturnal from the debut album Romance and Resolve
Track of the Day: Nocturnal
Artist: Robert Clarke
From the Album: Romance & Resolve
Country of Origin: England 🏴
Genre/s: Indie; Indie-Rock; Indiepop; Britpop; Sadcore; Alternative Rock
Reviewer: James Shipsides
Review: ‘Nocturnal’ meanders in, with a solitary, effect-washed guitar; a textured melancholy somewhere sonically inbetween UK legends The Cure and Canadian Alternative Rock band, Chastity. The fragility of the intro is short lived, as drums bound and fragmented bass swoop in. The sound is clear and defined reminiscent of a once happy Housemartins, but staying together long enough to hear the Red House Painters. Guitar spreads itself on the musical back wall, it’s essence now whispering and lamenting as vocals assert themselves. Robert Clarke uses his voice in a naturalistic, purely musical way, showcasing a voice which has been informed by his own live performances. Vocals are naked, untreated, vulnerable and Clarke sustains and then reigns in his voice, similar to his abilities on guitar; voice and guitar employ similar techniques, creating a sense of balance and consistency. The soundscape is kept simple though, a traditional set up of guitar, bass and drums, but tweaked in a way that bass and drums are slightly in the foreground, akin to ‘It’s a Shame About Ray’ era Lemonheads or ‘Imperial f.f.r.r.’ period Unrest. This means the bass can pulse in and then out with ease, whilst guitar can chime in from towards the back when needed. Vocals are able to perfectly detatch and punch back in with ease using this sound set up. Apart from the American Alternative Rock feel, there’s a definite embodiment of British Indie, from the Britpop of Blur and Shed Seven, the ArtRock of Radiohead, the Indiepop of Strangelove & Subcircus, plus the quieter moments of Space-Arena heroes, Muse. These flavours reveal themselves in simple, down-played vocal harmonies and the space and swing generated to give the vocals room to thrive. There’s a spirit of older music too; a 60s-infused sensibility, from Simon and Garfunkel to Scott Walker.
As ‘Nocturnal’ unravels, a haunting instrumental interval gives way to a second guitar. This is unfussy and balanced in the mix, giving a dream-like quality. The lead technique and content meanders from Classic Rock semi-harmonic tones to Stoner Galaxie 500 slacker-lead, touching on the Psychedelic tones of Ween via Teenage Fanclub and then to old-school Johnny Marr-esque lead lines. Echoing ghost-like vocals of Robert Clarke drift in, pulling ‘Nocturnal’ to it’s ethereal end. ⭐️
Listen to ‘Nocturnal’ by Robert Clarke on:
iTunes: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/nocturnal/1766268675?i=1766268808
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3FnTqESdc8gbjVr01jeEv2?si=ymQGAOSKQnOJhzoofoS0CQ
