Rarely does an album title so fittingly capture the essence of an upcoming listening experience. Most certainly, ‘quiet’ and ‘dark’ are two descriptions that appropriately describe Houses sophomore offering, A Quiet Darkness.
Consisting of Dexter Tortoriello and Megan Messina, the Chicago duo has released a conceptual album heavily underpinned by melancholic themes and introspective story telling.
Based on the narrative of a young couple separated by an apparent nuclear holocaust, A Quiet Darkness weaves its way through numerous synth melodies and electronic undertones, but does nothing to enhance the band’s reputation as a hypnotic alternative to an ambient Snow Patrol (see: “Peasants”).
Indeed, while debut album All Night was hell-bent on groovy atmospheres and ambient transitions, Houses latest offering is somewhat lacklustre, and particularly deficient in the diversity stakes.
While Tortoriello’s despondent vocals and hesitant melodies fit impressively on “A Quiet Darkness” and the super expressive “What We Lost”, the repetitive synth progressions and frustrating anti-climax of numerous songs leads to an unfulfilling end product.
Thankfully, strong lyrical content and emotive intellect resurrects the release. Singing of desperation in “The Beauty Surrounds” Tortoriello croons “All my love / won’t bring you back to me”, while uncertainty and isolation are further themes softly echoed by Messina throughout.
While A Quiet Darkness therefore succeeds in its conceptual intention, the slow motion and drone nature of the album, combined with the relative lack of invention throughout, ensures the album’s relative mediocrity.
