By Liza Jill Meyers of Indie Band Guru
With a meld of metal undertones from the bass, to the bluesy haunting melody of the violin, to the ghoulish grit of the vocals, to the dancing rhythms of the percussion, “Dead or Alive (For Now),” by Fable Cry, leaves you in suspense and flirts with your fears.
It is as if you are walking up a flight of stairs but you keep treading on the same step. You are looking forward, towards the “eyes at the top of the hill.”
Fable Cry, a band originating from Nashville, creates an early 20th century vibe with their harmonies and major-to-minor phrasings, which trap you in a vision you cannot escape: a curtain opening on a vaudeville ventriloquist. They carry these themes into the music video for “Dead or Alive (For Now)” with ease.
The breakdown in the middle of the song emphasizes that old-timey silent movie quality, and the instruments together create an old-fashion carousel sound. As the tempo of this bridge hastens in its heaviness, the circular patterns of the music climax like an organ grinder, and the carousel breaks down. The curtain closes.
One of the last lines of the song may be, “And the heart that beat now ceases,” but “Dead or Alive (For Now)” is anything but heart stopping. That is why, when Halloween 2016 arrives, “Dead or Alive (For Now)” will be the first song on my playlist.
So I guess I shall remain alive — for now.
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