Singer BB Diamond creates a rave that will leave you asking just that, with her latest track.
You step out. it’s cold. Open spaces swallow faces filled with energy, engulfing the smokey air with an infectious urge to dance. Around the dark field stand people, brimming with the electricity of the music that’s climbing in your ears. Slowly the faces move, weaving in and out of the foggy landscape surrounding you. Enchanted by an untouchable orchestra of vocals, you can’t help but move too, in a slow sway along with the introduction of the song.
Everything is in slow motion.
Rich and ornamental, BB Damond’s harmonies are an etherial light that bathes the crowd in their deep and commanding hold. Throughout the short introduction of Man or a Monster, the perfect marrying of voice and rhythm is on display; small staccato snippets become drum beats, vocal harmonies become chords.
The mere mention of any other instrumentation is needless here – her voice is the only instrument required. Any space surrounding left by the lack of guitars or piano is instantly filled with the depth of her voice that’s elegantly lined with reverb. After all, a lonely tree in a field demands all the attention; you have to focus on it. The field simply becomes its stage.
But then the sweet orchard of sound descends into a soft acapella break, shifting the spotlight to just Diamond’s solo voice. It’s bare, stripped back and exposed, yet still manages to hold its own. Becoming a melodic compass, her lines set the path ablaze with melodic beauty for the sudden rising chorus of instruments to follow.
Clouds of colour – pink, red, and blue, burst around the dancing group, spilling their way into a pre-chorus with eager ascending drums. Around you, everyone erupts into a frenzy of dance.
The verses relax a little, however, returning to the slow motion flow of the intro. In them, sneakily low bass trills accent the main vocal melody with minimalistic finesse. It’s a cheeky addition to each new verse rendition, and it provides its own freshness to the otherwise repetitive lyricism.
On the topic of lyricism – her words openly discuss a discourse between herself and the ‘monster’. Although, the words string themselves into predictable sentences which simply state the ‘monster’s’ wrongdoings – there’s no poetry, no playful lyrical content here. Honestly it’s a slight let down. But i suppose lyricism is secondary when the musical content is a thumping club ready dance track.
Overall, Man or a Monster is a late night rave in a field – it transcends the mere sounds it contains, forcing any listener into a joyous trance.
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