Bright Midnight - Liberation

Hear The Track Here

I first came across Bright Midnight in the middle of last year and he made enough of an impression on me to want to hear a lot more, simply to see what he came up with next. certainly his output this far has been varied, to say the least. Still, variety is the spice of life and all that old bollocks, so in for a penny in for a pound eh? (Ed: We have no idea what you are blabbering about, get on with the review) Liberation is, surprisingly, 'about being liberated' rather than some kind of call to revolutionary spirit and that's probably good because most of us are too fat and happy to be doing with all that revolting on the streets routine anyway. Or to busy online filling out our quota of friend-finding. (Ed: speak for yourself, saddo!)

The main reason Bright Midnight has made such an impression on me because he is an excellent songwriter as Liberation aptly testifies. He seems to have come up with a very interesting mix of styles in this track, some of which I found surprising (and surprisingly good). If I didn't know for a fact that Bright Midnight is a musician from the state of Texas, I'd swear he was as English as me. With it's blend of Mancunian rock (a la Joy Division/New Order) and vocal whimsy, Liberation looks sounds and probably smells very English. Think vocally in the direction of one Thomas J Marchant and/or a softer Ian Curtis.

All of which wouldn't mean a hill of beans if the song itself didn't have any legs, and if you like that alternative, navel gazing relentless sound so beloved of Joy Division fans then this is a treat indeed. Structurally, this owes a lot to the band too and - if it wasn't immaculately carried out - I'd be into my 'good but derivative' by now. What makes Liberation stand out is the energy or the performance and the professional feel of the mix, what kicks it into overdrive is the song itself which could have done duty back in the day with the original sound. As such, I think this is absolutely the best Bright Midnight track I have heard yet, and well worthy of listening/downloading and a MUST HAVE if you are in any way interested in the comparisons I have been making.

Awesome Joy Division/New Order clone. Highly Recommended indeed.