Local Groove: A song that builds up like a good dramatic film

I am very picky when it comes to instrumental bands. I understand the want for music that doesn’t follow the verse/chorus/verse formula but there has to be some semblance of structure for the music to make sense to me. It does not have to be entirely repetitive but there is some sort of theme that keeps coming up in the song that I can get behind.

You, You Dark Forest’s best effort to date is their latest single that is as long as most for song EP’s are. The single, “Arms of the Earth”, is just a few seconds short of nine minutes long and builds up like a good dramatic film.

What makes the song interesting is that, I usually find, the lead guitar is what drives the song forward while the rhythm section keeps the constant that not too many people really pay attention to unless they’re trying to learn that part on an instrument. However in “Arms of the Earth,” it has a lead part that plays the constant while the rhythm builds up and eventually climaxes but it doesn’t calm down again comparable to a movie where you want the bad guy to lose, but he doesn’t and a sequel is on the horizon.

This is how most of the songs from this band are. If you want to find a pop-rock influenced song that repeats itself then you’re barking up the wrong tree with You, You Dark Forest. They’re music is meant to reflect the complicated that surrounds them.

Apart from their latest single, You, You Dark Forest has three live albums that are available for download on their Bandcamp. In November they put out a live five song album that comes with a DVD of the show which was filmed and recorded at Chaplin’s Music Café in Spring City.

You, You Dark Forest is made up of Danny Bechtel and Chris Baldys on Guitar, Mark Giambrone playing the drums and Vadim Fedorovsky on bass. Together they have four albums, three of which are live albums and the latest is the single “Arms of the Earth.” You can find more information about You, You Dark Forest on their website www.youyoudarkforest.wordpress.com.

Dan Clark is an intern for Journal Register Company.