Album Review: OnDeadWaves Gives Us More “Dusk Sessions”
OnDeadWaves is the creative partnership of James Chapman (Maps) and Polly Scattergood whom were paired at an after-party for Mute’s legendary Short Circuit festival at London’s Roundhouse. The night saw different collaborations with Mute artists and Polly and Jame were s paired up to perform each other’s songs. The music chemistry was palpable, and moved these solo artists to consider an occasional union of music. Fast forward from this 2011 occurrence to 2016, where OnDeadWaves has made a mesmerizing self-titled debut, that gave pop a sense of fantasy you would find in fairytales. Could OnDeadWaves be described as synth-pop? Yes. Yet, I would describe them more as “pixie pop”, in honor of the mystical fairies that spread good magic. Such “good magic” can be heard in the mysterious mysticism of Dusk Sessions Part 2.
First, OnDeadWaves must be commended for their ability to build a visionary world in listeners’ minds with just two songs in Dusk Sessions Part 2. As “Only You”, a remake of Yaz’s christmas carol, begins you feel like you are in the Disney World of Maleficent, where you are rediscovering the lighter side of the currently darkened state of love/ power in your surroundings. OnDeadWaves’ arrangements have a fantastical build that makes you feel envision yourself being led into a forest of dreams by the guiding ghosts of James Chapman and Polly Scattergood. Their harmony is hauntingly beautiful like a phantasm longing for love to give it life again. Their slow melody gives the song a hypnotic feel as if its rhythms were a crystal being swung before you and drawing you into a rabbit hole of mindful wonder. Trust me, you want to lose yourself to this track as it makes the follow-up, Winter’s Child, more powerful and potent. This song is a tragic stunner with melancholy dripping from the quiet guitar and, again, harmonies that make you want to breathe warmth into the cold beauty of this song. For More Information OnDeadWaves and To Buy Dusk Sessions Part 2 Click Here.
