Patiently
Awaiting the Meteorite – Electrified
This is a
single with a near anthemic quality, but Patiently Awaiting the Meteorite never
chooses to go all the way in that direction. “Electrified” is the first single
release from their soon to be released debut studio album Canyon Diablo and, if
we should consider it representative of the future release in anyway, Patiently
Awaiting the Meteorite are poised to jolt an increasingly moribund scene with a
song mixing traditional merits of rock/popular song craft with polished and
thoroughly modern production. The sonic architecture is helmed by renowned
production team the Grand Brothers and the project, as a whole, represents
their second collaboration with the song’s vocalist Dee. Dee has release two
solo albums, the second produced by the aforementioned brothers, and enjoys a
vast YouTube following as well as landing his song “Miles and Miles (Living on
the Edge)” with a Super Bowl Ford automotive commercial. The sort of exposure
that brings is inestimable.
There’s some
female backing vocals scatting along with the arrangement and a smidgen of post
production effects applied to the lead vocal, but Dee’s voice and performing
presence is definitely enough to sustain the song alone. He handles the verses
and refrains alike with equal confidence, but yet seems to have an unerring
sense of what the music and lyrics alike require from his talents. The message
behind the song is, essentially, a simple one, but that doesn’t stop Dee from
delivering it with every ounce of the oomph “Electrified” deserves. Despite the
song title, however, Dee notably never goes overboard with his delivery and his
voice crackles with just enough emotion to make this a compelling ride for
listeners. He latches onto the wide swing achieved by the song’s rhythm section
and really makes it come particularly alive during the song’s refrain urging
listeners to keep moving on.
There’s
plenty of electronic pyrotechnics flashing across the surface of the song’s
rhythm section, but the basis of everything for this track is the meaty bottom
end attack that gives both Dee and the backing vocalists such a rich foundation
to work on top of. As mentioned earlier, the song achieves a real swing and
swagger without ever over-exaggerating its qualities and the Grand Brothers’
production keeps everything vivid, but balanced. It’s a tightrope act they pull
off with exceptional skill. They have strong instincts, as well, for how the
song should be structured and the composition never runs on too long with
needless instrumental touches or too much lyrical content. Everything is cut to
a focused edge that never relents for the entirety of the song. Patiently
Awaiting the Meteorite’s “Electrified” is one of the most impressive singles
from 2018, any genre, and definitely makes a case for Canyon Diablo potentially
ending up on a lot of year’s best lists when December rolls around. It’s that
good and promises more even better to come.
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/PATMband
David Beals
