Review by Abby Kenna & Staff
“A Dream Come to Life” by Nathan’s Brother is a rippling array of colors and textures, lush with the many wonders that come with love. Complete with unique, unfamiliar instruments and woven layers of texture, this song is a picturesque dedication.
“A Dream Come to Life” starts with a dynamic amalgamation of guitars, swimming with bright dissonances and the twang of harmonics. Panned wide across the track, the quirky chorus of guitars fill each corner of the mix with melodic cacophony. Suddenly, with a sharp snare hit, the track blossoms and resolves into rich, reverberating introduction. As vivid and colorful as his track, Nathan’s Brother sings of the beauty of love:
“Flavours blending as they soar
A feast to the senses”
Each instrument seems to have a mind of its own within “A Dream Come to Life”, like a jungle of colorful, coexisting melodies. The electric bass sweeps underneath with warm motifs while the drums march forward and a peculiar instrument shines through at the forefront. Generally uncommon within Western musicians, a saz acts as one of the lead instruments, binding the song with its unique color and texture. The saz, more formally known as the bağlama, is a Turkish stringed instrument. Because of its alternate tuning and round body, it produces a sound that contrasts more familiar stringed instruments, like the modern acoustic guitar. The bright, treble tone of the saz resonates with harmonics and pierces through the warmer sound of a Western guitar or electric bass, and adds an extremely specific texture to “A Dream Come to Life”. Nathan’s Brother incorporated the saz for his muse, referencing an element of her culture to make this expressive love song even more personal and unique. With this fresh and buoyant arrangement, “A Dream Come to Life” radiates with the cheer and childlike playfulness of someone in love. It’s easy to get swept up in the quirky light of the tune, reminiscent of The Beatles in texture and motivic movement. Although the instruments dance giddily, the lead vocals ring out over the rippling arrangement with vulnerability, touching upon the emotional heart of this song:
“And every time you smile
I’m out of my mind
Yet you are as real as a dream come to life”
Overflowing with colorful instruments and layers of soaring melodies, “A Dream Come to Life” feels like falling in love. Nathan’s Brother has orchestrated a true beam of light in this song, capturing excitement, vulnerability, and true delight.
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About Nathan's Brother Starting of as a guitar and bass guitar player doing more and more vocals and occasionally using the piano to write songs, this eclectic musician from Haarlem in The Netherlands eventually took up drum and vocal lessons to become a true one-man-band. ‘One-man’ because every discipline, (including writing, recording and production) is taken on as such but still deserving of the moniker ‘band’ because every instrument is played like a focused band member often recorded in a period in which that given instrument was rehearsed exclusively and tirelessly.
Nathan’s Brother’s debut album ‘Spot On’ is therefore a true rendition of the music inside a single man’s head without being over-discussed and averaged out by multiple people wanting to have a say, making it a collection of truly refreshing tunes that sonically explore the territory between Alt-Country, Brit-Folk-Rock and Indie-Pop.
For more information on Nathan's Brother, please visit their website.
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