‘Dark Clouds’ by Backstrom and Bart Topher is a seven-track alternative folk album that takes its listener on a journey of dark reflection and life-altering experiences. The mood of the sound is deep and moody, populated by heavy guitar and piano melodies. This while occasionally passing by the sharp sounds of strings and harmonicas that whistle through duets.
The album’s lyrics inform the body’s storytelling, with each song giving context to the next. The lines feel like a massive internal monologue. This written out and expressed in a way that seems neutral but hold sad, dark emotions at their core.
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‘Dark Clouds’: Track-by-Track
‘Dark Clouds’-I: ‘Dark Clouds’-’Daydreaming’
Track I & II
The titular track, ‘Dark Clouds’ opens the album, setting the dark tone with vivid imagery that effectively communicates this deep sense of sadness and weight that seems to run throughout the album. The dark guitars on the song set the tone for the rest of the album, evoking the feeling of dark clouds hovering overhead.
“….The world is such a different place,
We’ve changed so much since then…”.
Its a dark reflection growing up that adds weight to the narrative of the album as a whole.
‘One More Time’ keeps up with the mood established by the first track, using strings to add another dimension to the melancholy of the album’s overall soundscape. Its lyrics plead for another chance, begging for a sliver if hope to keep holding on in the darkness that seems to have set in all around.
“Give it to me one more time, give me a chance,…
…Lord just give me a spark, a flame to keep the fire burning…
…All I need is desire, something to hold on to…”.
Track III & IV
‘From The Ashes’ introduces a dark and haunting piano melody that seems to bring in a new dimension to the album’s sound. One that brightens up the tone a bit with a comforting voice that seems to guide our jaded protagonist, gently proding them to not give up.
Its lines are meant to empower and encourage.
“….For everyone who’s missing a new one is born.
From the ashes we shall rise…
…From the ashes to dust”.
The song seems to fight to keep moving, with the soundscape’s moody guitars joining in like a choir to signal that our narrator isn’t alone.
‘Daydreaming’ is a lighter, guitar-led track that’s a bit more fast-paced. In the context of the album, the song’s soundscape tries to alleviate the weight that seems to bare down on our narrator. Its lines seem to fantasise about escaping the darkness that clouds this path and heading to a place where our protagonist can lay down their load.
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‘Dark Clouds’-II: ‘Like The Night’-’Tennessee’
Track V, VI & VII
‘Like The Night’ brings back those dark guitars, that feel heavy and ink-black like a dark night. There’s a sense of momentum to the track that feels like we’re driving along a dark road on night that seems to envelope us like velvet.
Our despondent narrator seems to liken themselves to a thief, slipping through spaces on rooftops, like an unwelcome guest. Almost as though they belong in the sneaking darkness.
“…And in the darkness, when the fire burns out.
When the birds stop singing and the silence roars,
I come sweeping in over the rooftops, through (your) window.
Like a thief, I come back for more…”.
The slow, heavy rhythms of this song lead into ‘You and Me’, the lightest song on the album. Harmonicas, guitars and a lilting piano reflect on a love story that feels almost devoid of the oppressive weight that’s present on the rest of the album. The harmonica’s melodies compliment the lyrics and vocals in a light duet, warming the album’s soundscape with its first bright spot.
The last track on the album, ‘Tennessee’ finds our narrator right back where they seemed to start their journey. They’re now back at the start, reflecting on the journey they’ve been, from the oppressive dark to the bright light of warmth that attempted to disperse those dark clouds.
All their reflecting leads this point of acceptance that’s highlighted by the guitar solo’s dark resolve and the one of the last lines in the song.
“…(It) took me so long to figure out,…
…Can’t take the roots out of me…
…All these miles and all these bars,
Just to get back to Tennessee…”.
‘Dark Clouds’-Conclusion
‘Dark Clouds’ by Backstrom takes its listener on a journey through darkness and deep sadness that is slowly dispelled by moments of light, warmth, realisation and accpetance. These moments feel powerful and earned by the end, though there’s also this sense that there’s still a long way to go.
“…The path is crooked and winding but you can’t call it an end…”.
The clouds might always be a constant companion for our narrator.
The Artist
Backstrom writes folk, country and rock songs and records them with some talented musicians.
Follow Backstrom on Instagram!
Listen to ‘Dark Clouds’ with Bart Topher here:
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