Thursday, July 23, 2015

“Black Box” by Calan Mai – A Song Review

     For nearly four minutes, “Black Box” is a song that positively separates itself from most songs that hit the ears of listeners, then the song gets better. During the first 3:48, “Black Box” flows in a direction and with a force dictated by the guitars and the soothing voice of Calan Mai. The acoustic guitar at the outset is soon joined by a “distant” shoegaze guitar. The force of the flow increases at the 3:03 mark. Still, it's the activity starting at 3:48 that sweeps the listener into the song’s current. A slow-build crescendo begins and the backing vocals break free from merely tracking the lyrics of the lead vocals, which adds to the depth of “Black Box” despite the backing being limited to single syllables. Then, the vocal layering hits another level at 4:24, as an anguished voice contracts with the soothing voice that originally set the pace.

     Calin Mai is the performance name of Jordan Lawrence, a 24-year-old singer/songwriter who relocated from Australia to Manchester, UK.

      “Black Box” by Calan Mai

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