LUKA – The
End of the World
I can’t help
but be biased towards LUKA’s new track; with the pessimistic title combined
with romantic and sophisticated songwriting, it is similar in concept to one of
my favourite albums, Hozier’s Wasteland
Baby.
My only familiarity with ukulele is my brief stint on it at the age
of thirteen, Jack Johnson, and Billie Eilish’s 8. Nevertheless, I was immediately able to tell that Luka is a good
uke player, and, for such a cheerful sounding instrument, the whole song came
out impressively dark.
I am a
sucker for dark music and the combination of darkness and light in art. Darkness in
music should be like a spice; you want to add just enough that it brings out
the best parts of the song, but not so much that it overpowers it. Luka has got
this balance perfectly. The chord progression is smart and vintage, jazz chords
adding a little edge to the uke. The melody is reminiscent of a bygone age of
songwriting; there is something classy and delicate about it and the bridge
provides just enough of a transition to ramp up the emotion without clashing
with the first part. The End of the World
is simplicity at it’s finest, deceptive and perfectly formed.
One of the
most beautiful and poignant things about this song is the harmony. It is
cleverly done, a minimal arrangement with tasteful restraint. The backing
guitars and backing vocals act first like ghosts of the uke and the melody, and
the effect is haunting. Then they veer off into their own realms, chiming in
time with the main parts; the combination is impeccable and LUKA’s vocals suit the whole thing with an ethereal beauty at odds with the song's title, or maybe the two enhance each other.
In these
somewhat gloomy times, I would definitely recommend listening to this track.
You can also check LUKA out on Instagram @lukalala for more of her incredible
work.
Comments
Post a Comment