Burning Like the Midnight Sun

Description

Burning Like the Midnight Sun is a studio album by the American alternative rock band The Choir, independently released on the band’s own label Galaxy21 Music in June 2010. The album was recorded and mixed 2009 – 2010 by Derri Daugherty at Sled Dog Studios in Franklin, Tennesse; with Steve Hindalong and Daugherty producing.

Burning Like the Midnight Sun continues in the atmospheric post-punk vein that the Choir has made its own for 25 years. Derri Daugherty remains a uniquely evocative singer, bringing a spacey sort of tenderness to Steve Hindalong’s spiritually informed lyrics. In these tracks, the band deals with themes of loss and acceptance, offering salutes to departed comrades («A Friend So Kind») and solace to young romantics («That Melancholy Ghost»). The band draws upon its road experiences for the ominous «Mr. Chandler» and the wistful «I’m Sorry I Laughed». More explicitly spiritual is «The Word Inside the Word» (an upbeat message of compassion) and «It Should Have Been Obvious» (an unsparing look at religious blindness). The band’s blend of harsh and gentle textures comes together in «Say Goodbye To Neverland», an eerie ode to lost innocence. As always, the Choir’s subtle layering of effects-laden guitars, pulsating percussion and moody saxophones achieves a gorgeous shimmer.

The 12th album from seminal American alternative band The Choir contains a sparkle that few groups could muster after more than two decades on the scene. Largely thanks to a great bunch of songs from the pen of drummer Steve Hindalong and lead vocalist Derri Daugherty delivered in the latter’s own unassuming style, it’s obvious that the pair are happy to be reunited in the studio with bassist Tim Chandler, sax player Dan Michaels and guitarist Marc Byrd. Whilst references to their faith are subtle and less obvious, the lads put their own point of view across in the likes of «The Word Inside The Word» which urges tolerance amongst religious factions whilst «It Should Have Been Obvious» tackles chief lyricist Hindalong’s own prejudices. Elsewhere, in-jokes such as «Mr Chandler» and «I’m Sorry I Laughed» – referencing band members in respective stories of travel misadventure and accidents on stage – add a certain charm to the proceedings and show a band at ease with their creative output. Showcasing an experimental edge in the likes of the thought-provoking tale of childhood torment «That Melancholy Ghost» and the haunting «Say Goodbye To Neverland», this exemplary release proves that there’s plenty of life left in the old band yet. [Lins Honeyman, Cross Rhythms, October 2010]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/burning-like-the-midnight-sun/377613327)

CD tracklist:

01. Midnight Sun – 4:07
02. That Melancholy Ghost – 4:44
03. Mr. Chandler – 5:41
04. Between Bare Trees – 4:15
05. A Friend So Kind – 6:18
06. Legend Of Old Man Byrd – 5:04
07. I’m Sorry I Laughed – 3:27
08. The Word Inside The World – 3:50
09. It Should Have Been Obvious – 4:18
10. Invisible – 3:08
11. Say Goodbye To Neverland – 4:46

Note: Available at Bandcamp: https://thechoir1.bandcamp.com/album/burning-like-the-midnight-sun-2

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