If my first taste of Woodstock,NY’s Two Dark Birds was last summer’s “Pink Light,” a brooding and seductive number, my second bite reveals an entirely different side to the band. I’m not saying that “Good Boy Good” is the sound of the seventies, but if I told you that it was a long lost Doobie Brothers demo, few, I suspect, would challenge me.
And I say that because it has the same balance of funk and soul and rock, groove and pop accessibility. It shuffles and sashays rather than simply drives along, the difference being that rather than just move towards its final destination, it boogies and bounces, deftly dances, throws in some crazy footwork, and generally cuts a rug.
Beats shuffle, guitars throw around some resonant riffs, Hammond organs soften and smooth, basses blend rumble and melody, and the vocals are soft and, often, serene. But what makes this a song of the here-and-now is not merely the poise and polish of the modern studio sound but also some subversive moves on the part of the piano player.
Remember when rock music had no problem being this funky? This easily accessible and instantly infectious? When groove and grace were defining properties rather than volume and velocity, which now seems to be the norm? When soul and rock were brothers in musical arms? Remember all that? Two Dark Birds certainly does.
Dreamers of the Golden Dream, Vol 2, the album that this single calls home, is due out on 27th February on Vfib Recordings.Instagram
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