Dreaming In Black And White Cd Review

The image of a girl chasing something unknown and unattainable as her desperation lives vicariously in reverse through the lyrics in the music video of Trust Company’s first single “Heart In My Hands” off their new album has been teasing fans since October 2010 as the full album was only due for release 5 months later. Having released two studio albums before 2005, the band decided to have some time apart while they individually tried to rekindle their love for music after the pressures of the industry had detracted from their initial hunger to make music. “It just stopped being exciting.” says drummer Jason Singleton. Now almost 5 years later time has healed all wounds and the universe has allowed for their paths to cross one more time; this time with the focus on music without any expectation or distraction -their revival birthed into their third and best yet studio album: Dreaming In Black And White.

The band branches off in new directions with this album and while they retain their renowned overpowering combination of intense hard rock fused with frenetic rhythms, there’s a different intensity in the melodies which somehow softens the overall texture. After 5 years apart of learning and living, this album collaborates experience and lessons learned and there will be a part in every listener who will relate to some point of this album as the emotional struggle in the words they sing are entwined with heavy and hard instrumentals, arousing the most hidden emotions.

“Close Your Eyes (Til It’s Over)” introduces the album with immediate hard interwoven guitar riffs and rough vocals, setting the tone for the rest of the album. Littered with classical breakdowns throughout, think A Change Of Pace meets Taking Back Sunday. After listening to the track a few times you begin to look through the hard exterior of the song as a whole and realise the intensity in the words as they describe the solitude in awaiting grace.

The second track and the album’s first single “Heart In My Hands” follows the same musical characteristics but the lyrics defy that of the first as the contradictions implicate wavering and uncertainty; however, in this track ‘the wait is over’.

“Dreaming In Black And White” titles the album and is powerful both in melody and in the context in which the setting is drawn, vocally as abrasive as the matter-of-fact words imply. For the first time on the album the backing vocals are screams and this mixed with a whispered interlude of hard breakdowns comprising of different rhythms and strum patterns adds to the overall brutality of the intended painted image.

The band’s true diversity is shown in the track “Letting Go” which completely changes the tempo of the album and the band’s entire style with a distinct Secondhand Serenade influence being apparent in the simplicity of the chords and the tender manner in which it is sung (even fitting in with the theme of Secondhand Serenade’s album A Twist In My Story) but it is as we reach the end of the album with an acoustic version of “Stumbling” it’s almost as if this album was written through the stages of grief: hurt, anger, acceptance – and while listening we have journeyed down their last 5 years of transformation in unison. Yes, all the songs relate to love loss of some form, but it’s expressed in such a way that isn’t whining or complaining, it’s lyrical intimacy with a trace of hope; the connecting thread between each track being portrayed as lost or misplaced – presumably the girl from the video. The entire album is a lyrical paradox; add the music video in reverse and the ambiguity is left to personal interpretation and relativity. Perhaps it’s simply a metaphorical parallel to the uncanny journey these three artists took to find each other once again, and in turn, found themselves.

Reviewed by Lisa Burnell

Dreaming In Black And White Tracklist

01. Close Your Eyes (Til It's Over)
02. Heart In My Hands
03. Almost There
04. Stumbling
05. Reverse & Remember
06. Pulling You Down
07. Alone Again
08. Dreaming In Black And White
09. Letting Go
10. Skies Will Burn
11. We Are The Ones
12. Don't Say Goodbye
13. Stumbling (Acoustic) [Hidden Track]

Trust Company Line-up

Vocals, guitar: Kevin Palmer
Guitar: James Fukai
Bass: Wes Cobb
Drums: Jason Singleton

Trust Company Weblinks

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