Singles: “Onion Grin” and “Fancy Dancing”
Band: Fable Cry
As an English major I have read my fair share of fairy-tales, myths, and legends. But as a musical person, I always wondered what they would sound like, or perhaps what the characters were singing to themselves as they ventured off to save someone, or the villains sang to the heroes in boastful gloating. Well, after to listening to Fable Cry’s latest singles, I now have my answer.
From Nashville, Tennessee, Fable Cry creates music that has been described as a combination between Danny Elfman, Queen, and Gogol Bordello. There is a vaudeville feel to the music, with Gypsy musical influences that will carry you away to a land where myths and legends are real. Their music is almost like the fairy-tales we all know have come to life in all of their splendour, suspense, and darkness.
The singles are from the band’s sophomore album, we’ll Show You Where the Monsters Are, due out this summer. And if the singles are any indicator, the album is going to be a ton of fun and I am very much looking forward to it.
“Onion Grin” starts very dramatically with the violin setting the mood. The subtle sound of a knife sharpening gives a hint to the nature of the song. The singing is wonderfully suspenseful, and if listened to carefully, you begin to understand that the song is from the point of view of the villain. Specifically, it is the wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood” expressing his frustration with chasing the well-known heroine. Although the band is drawing from a story that almost everyone knows, “Onion Grin” is delightfully macabre, and leaves you thinking about the tale differently.
“Fancy Dancing” is very much influenced by Gypsy music with its sorrowful, crying violin and inventive accompanying sounds. The whimsical vocals tell the story of a hero who comes across a rather unsavoury character who offers to tell his fortune. The singing switches from the hero and villain to carry the story along. As the hero’s future is revealed, or rather hinted at, the music cleverly picks up in intensity. And very much like a fairy-tale, the song gradually builds to an epic climax that leaves the listener in awe, and then its story abruptly ends.
And if listening to the imaginative tale isn’t enough, Fable Cry also created a video for the song. The video is dark, as it is set at night, but it offers some background information of the tale. What I like most about the video, other than the fact that it is a short movie, is that you get to see the band’s fantastically imaginative costumes.
I am eagerly awaiting the release of their album. So if you are a fan of unique music and a new spin on old tales then check out Fable Cry on their website or Facebook page.
Samantha Stevens is an aspiring writer who loves combining her love for literature with photography, painting, music, and all creative pursuits.
