There’s a valium calm to the music of Royalchord, a certain serene stillness that actually masks what you believe are the raw torrents of emotion that are lurking somewhere beneath the gorgeous stripped down melodies. There’s something really curious about the songwriting on The Good Fight. Royalchord make me believe in Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious, as they have the ability to do something that I’ve only really heard Mark Lanegan do, which is to write these songs that immediately sound like music that you’ve known for years.
They’re operating with minimal ingredients, some keyboards, the ocassional acoustic or electric guitars, a basic at times cheesy drum machine and their incredible vocals. There’s a real alt country lilt to the way they sing at times, and there’s often a country highway twang to their guitar, yet the glockenspiel, keys and drum machine take them into another realm. It’s all so understated, there’s no bluster, it’s gentle, quite restrained and as a result really unique and really quite beautiful. Perhaps the most interesting thing is the use of the basic drum machine patterns. The style of music they play is often fleshed out with real kits, perhaps brushes, lush instrumentation, full bands. The fact that they have elected not to do this offers another edge to their music, it’s unexpected, creates a little bit of friction, makes it all the more interesting.
Based in Melbourne, they recorded this album in France after spending time in Berlin and Guatemala, and though I don’t really hear any of this influenced in the music. You can tell however that something this relaxed and intimate could only be created somewhere where the duo not only had plenty of time but also had developed a certain sense of comfort.
Given its restrained nature, it’s an album that choses not to jump out you and as a result really struggles to assert itself within the din of contemporary music, which in itself is quite refreshing. It’s almost like this album is an escape from all of the extraneous chatter and clatter, a sweet and gentle oasis for those who chose to take some time out.
Bob Baker Fish
