There is something in the combination of the restrained pace and powerful sonics, the almost spoken word delivery, and the poignant lyrics found in “Don’t Succumb To Fear” that echo bands such as Rage Against The Machine’s finest moments. But whereas those Californian alt-rockers wove together funky grooves and rap intensity to create their signature sound, Tidal Water looks to more progressive soundscapes to create their backdrop.
That’s not to say that this is prog-rock; it isn’t, but the same sonic complexities and eloquent acoustics that helped shape that genre are allowed to play out in the song. But that is only one of many strands found running through the music. The groove is subdued and bluesy; the spiraling sounds blend soulful licks and jazz-infused adventurousness, and the vocals are almost conversational, understated, and subdued.
But despite “Don’t Succumb to Fear’s” less velocitous ways, it still manages to land a punch. By layering up various musical tones and myriad textures, these gossamer threads, when taken as a whole, create a reassuring sonic weight, well perhaps not weight but certainly creating invitingly complex sonic waters in which to lose yourself.
Volume and velocity are not the only ways to get noticed; sometimes elegance and finesse, grace and grandeur, poignancy and poise work much better. This is undoubtedly one of those times.
