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James D. Stark
Music of the Night
Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2007
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor
Showing little progression from the last album, James D. Stark's Music of the Night is still an atmospheric foray into the dark romantic aspects of darkwave music, full of mature songwriting and solid musicianship.
On Fortress of Solitude, James D. Stark's last album, he had proven a rather versatile range as a musician, combining complex arrangements with synthpop structures and gothic atmospheres. It was a very satisfying release that stood up to repeated listening and demonstrated an appeal beyond simple dark synthpop fare. Of course, with the bar set so high, following up such a good album is a daunting task, one whose results are not always up to par. Such is unfortunately the case with Music of the Night, Stark's latest album. While it retains many of the elements that made Fortress of Solitude a successful exercise in melancholic beauty, it's precisely for that reason that Music of the Night falls short. There is little progression in the sound and style, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it does bring this album down a few notches with a feeling of having "been there, done that."
It would be misguided to say that Music of the Night is without its merits. Stark's sense of musicianship and songwriting are in fine form with this album, possessing a romanticism that many darkwave groups attempt to portray, but only rarely do. "Ready" begins the album with rising waves of dark synthesizer ambience, sounding very reminiscent of Gary Numan, though Stark's ethereal voice is a far cry from Numan's android-like delivery. "Prisoner" and "Realize" give us more '80s atmosphere, possessing a misty neon-lit aura that recalls the synthesizer soundtracks of many films of that era, but it's not until "Run" that the album begins to pick up. The pulsating bass tones and gothic melodies are almost vampiric in their infectiousness, bringing to mind simultaneous images of pagan rituals in a cold moonlit forest and goth dancers on the dance floor. Other tracks like "Hell" and "Savior" fill the air with sonic fog, full of dense electronics and layers of Stark's passionate vocals, while "Unbreakable" aims for the clubs with its stuttering techno beats.
Music of the Night is appropriately titled, as each track evokes the feeling of starry skies after dusk, when all has gone dark with only the light of the moon to guide you. However, there is nothing malevolent about Stark's music, unlike many goth and darkwave bands, instead focusing more on emotions and poetry, both lyrical and musical. As mentioned, the only downside to this album is its similarity to the previous release, with little to differentiate the two. Still, if you're one who enjoys good darkwave augmented by mature songwriting, then Music of the Night will make an excellent addition to your collection.
It would be misguided to say that Music of the Night is without its merits. Stark's sense of musicianship and songwriting are in fine form with this album, possessing a romanticism that many darkwave groups attempt to portray, but only rarely do. "Ready" begins the album with rising waves of dark synthesizer ambience, sounding very reminiscent of Gary Numan, though Stark's ethereal voice is a far cry from Numan's android-like delivery. "Prisoner" and "Realize" give us more '80s atmosphere, possessing a misty neon-lit aura that recalls the synthesizer soundtracks of many films of that era, but it's not until "Run" that the album begins to pick up. The pulsating bass tones and gothic melodies are almost vampiric in their infectiousness, bringing to mind simultaneous images of pagan rituals in a cold moonlit forest and goth dancers on the dance floor. Other tracks like "Hell" and "Savior" fill the air with sonic fog, full of dense electronics and layers of Stark's passionate vocals, while "Unbreakable" aims for the clubs with its stuttering techno beats.
Music of the Night is appropriately titled, as each track evokes the feeling of starry skies after dusk, when all has gone dark with only the light of the moon to guide you. However, there is nothing malevolent about Stark's music, unlike many goth and darkwave bands, instead focusing more on emotions and poetry, both lyrical and musical. As mentioned, the only downside to this album is its similarity to the previous release, with little to differentiate the two. Still, if you're one who enjoys good darkwave augmented by mature songwriting, then Music of the Night will make an excellent addition to your collection.
