aaamusic | On 13, Sep 2011

Rocketeer – Leave Me

Following on from their last single ‘Cowardly Soldiers Lament’ Somerset’s Rocketeer are now set to release their next single ‘Leave Me’.

In contrast to their previous efforts the band has taken on a somewhat darker sound on this single. This latest effort they have taken on the challenge of writing about a tortured soul and their battle with alcohol but it dealt with in a tactile way and draws the listener to the attention of someone being torn apart by what is happening to them. Such emotive topics can often lead to songwriters swamping tracks with a hyper-emotional state which can undermine any message they want to put across. See Mumford and Sons. While it can sometimes lean close to doing this it always pulls back at the last minute.

Opening with a light tinkling of piano before it thunders in with the drums and a stabbing guitar riff then onto a funk-lite piano riff then to a spoken word middle and back to what was going on at the beginning. You could make the assumption that each verse is there to represent a different state of our protagonist as they struggle which artistic is commendable but from a musical point of view just gets in the way. As it keeps flitting between style it make it difficult to get a hold on the track and almost ends up sounding like separate set pieces stuck together to make one track.

That being said despite the rapid changes it is a very concise song it doesn’t feel like there is any waste on it. Each section comes in does it’s job and leaves. No fuss.

This concise nature along with it being covered in pop hooks many songwriters can only dream about makes this an enjoyable listening. Whilst the rapidly changing verses and hyper-emotional vocals (mainly at the beginning) can grate they are a band that works well together and one we have certainly not heard the last of yet.

 

Author: Barry Gray