To coin a phrase. Now this is what I call… a very good alternative pop song.
It’s the new effort from Norway’s Thea Glenton Raknes (better known as Thea & the Wild). With a track called “Dark Horse” that really got me a buzz, all within a hot quick minute.
There is a bit of folky veneer to Thea’s vocals, with a country styled tremor to it, which is not something that I’d normally fall for. Maybe the Scandinavian nuance that is so firmly positioned in place makes it as exquisite as it is. I’m a sucker for a good off-kilter pop song though. And “Dark Horse” comes with a suitably indie piqued melody which is rife with quirky beats made of percussion accents for the better part, created by tapping chopsticks on a tea cup. No really, it’s stated on the press release. I could not make that up if I tried!
Even before the plumes of off-beat melody kick in, “Dark Horse” sets a very assured tone with these hard hitting lyrics, “If you’re gonna love me, thrill me, but know that it’s a risk to take. And if you’re gonna shoot me, kill me, cos I can stand the heartache”.
OK it’s not a conventional love sonnet by any means. To tell the truth I’m super glad it’s not.
But it is all rather glorious and exploding in indie-popalicious technicolour.
I live for days like this, when an unexpected track shows up and gives me the elusive cocktail of pop brilliance I crave.