There is something darkly emotive, primal, and perhaps pagan swirling at the heart of this latest song from Tralalas, something that seems to echo the ancient, both through the imagery of its lyrics and the weaves of earthy folk tones that run through its more rock and roll sonics.
It’s a song about waiting, irreversible change, and the quiet acceptance of nature’s inescapable and inevitable order, about the never-ending cycle of seasons and how such things are beyond our control. And while even the title “Winter on the Vine” is imbued with the feeling that nature is bigger than all of us, there are plenty of metaphorical lessons to be had here, with many parallels between the life cycle of the planet and our own lives.
Tralalas is the sonic vehicle of Danish artist Morten Alsinger, a name fans of electro-punk will remember for the band Vertical, and adding additional layers of haunted vocals is Heidi Lindahl, of BlackieBlueBird, with Thomas Golzen handling all manner of guitars and drummer Francis Nørgaard Jensen helping to round out the sound.
It’s a song that balances fragility and finesse, a beguiling beauty with brooding darkness, shaded tones with just the spark of distant light, spaciousness with sophistication, much like the winter world it describes.
Imagine Nick Cave if he had become a hermit, lived in a cabin in the woods, and made music to keep the timeless gods of the earth on his side, and you are getting close to the form and feeling of this song.
