Look, we need to get over this “greatest duo” debate. Sure, White Stripes made some food stuff. We had The Carpenters as well. Jake and Logan Paul do… something. However, there is undeniable musical chemistry in some duos. The Gender Gnomes win without any competition. That’s probably because I entered only them. All We’ve Got is Time is their first full length album. I hope like my poor joke above, this is received in quite the opposite energy.
Manhattan opens up this fairytale of an album. If Disney producers had a spine, they’d be using an upbeat track like this for the city animation. With unique beat sounds and surreal vocals, we hear the obvious heart gone in making this. While you gently nod to how invested you will get into this track, it passes you by like the spring breeze of old.
Handhold is acoustic goodness paired with your favourite wine. Harmonics set in, showing the lock and key pair these two are. Pay attention to the lyrics if you’re a lover of poetry and all things melodic. Maybe the Moon comes soon after that gentle ballad of sorts, and it’s interesting to watch that internal metronome tick.
Music to forget the mayhem
I find it astounding that artists like these don’t get the airplay they deserve, but I keep forgetting the capitalist dystopia I live in. On that cheery note, I really love the thematic core this duo chases. Pay close attention to the album art of their first and second EP, Introducing the Gender Gnomes & Reintroducing… We all love a singer-songwriter duo that operates on levity yet with such beautiful, meaningful lyrics.
When I Say Blue was a single released earlier this year. An upbeat track that keeps you either tapping your feat and nodding with a smile, this track is all hearts. With pauses being earned and progressions being explored, there is a niche this group has found and it’s somewhere in my heart.
The Gender Gnomes keep it going with the warm light of The Flame. A subversive and polemic track, it aims to unite-and the vocals help like glue to keep the arrangement together. How Do You Learn continues the emotional upheaval in my mind I had while watching the opening sequence of Up. Closer to an acoustic rendition of a Broadway track, it makes an impact for the lyricism and unique progression used.
When poetry fails, music might save
Solstice and Everything is What It Is provide parallel dynamics with heartfelt melodies that reverberate in your psyche. Not only do this diatomic duo make a splash with each song, they hold the atmosphere for the symphony to really soak in. This is talented songwriting, painstakingly curated to follow a theme by sound and lyricism.
Running on Easy changes their sound, to a gear that is a unique. It has a slow build, and treats the listener to a pub/blues catchy number. Really dive into this track to hear the nuances. The Next Open Window dominates a different tempo. A pop-rock track by tone, it changes texturally while more layers add eventually. Break Me Down is another acoustic powerhouse to follow through, really encapsulating what this sound means to them.
A fantastic last track closes out this album. It is light, playful-yet has tones that tense up your conscious listening. There is a constant ebb and flow in their tracks, I like to see it as a tracklist that molds itself into a tarn.
An oasis in the mountains, a fresh drink of water. A break from the endless echoes of browns and greens. This sharp cerulean blue shimmers ever so gently. Each track is a ripple, and it knows its place within the lake. All it aims to do is keep constant motion, within itself. The Gender Gnomes teach us a lot, but are we ready to learn. Thankfully for us, all we’ve got is time.
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Discovered via http://musosoup.com
Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
