Just because you have the tools to hand to musically sucker punch the audience doesn’t mean that you have to. Or, more specifically, you shouldn’t just use that as your only sonic weapon. Variety is, after all, the spice of life. There is much to be gained by first lulling the listener into a false sense of security before unleashing the goods, and that is precisely what Conflict Choir does on the latest release, “The Real Thing.”
Slowly snaking into earshot via hypnotic waves of underplayed guitar and spacious and considered vocals, the song takes nearly a minute of lulling and layering before it reveals the other, less mannered, side of its musical personality. And when it does, the shock to the system, or at least the ears, is much more effective for the time spent building beguiling coils of sound.
The song then ebbs and flows between such sonic heights and musical troughs, exploring sky-searing crescendos and then creating even more extreme dynamics by dropping back to, often, near nothingness.
It is this ability not to show their hand too early, to build subtle weaves and supple meshes of sound, that wonderfully misdirects the listener, making the explosive payoff all the more sweet when it first arrives. Even once you know their game, you can still marvel at the breadth and scope of the song.
Conflict Choir has an astute understanding of how to lure potential discerning music fans into the sonic lair before giving them enough reasons to never want to leave.
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