Dutch retro-pop act Donna Blue stick to their winning formula on their new album Into the Realm of Love: carefully crafted love songs that could have been released in the mid-sixties when psychedelic rock took off. Bart van Dalen and Danique van Kesteren take turns at handling the lead vocals, with Van Dalen working a double shift playing guitar, using old school effects that sound warm.
They allow each note enough time to reach its full potential, making it the perfect soundtrack for a glorious Spring day. With lyrics and English and French, the duo can pick the language to set the mood: dreamy psychedelic soundscapes for Fantasy Girl, yé-yé pop for for Mains De L'Amour (with plenty of ah's and recurring keyboards motif) and Labyrinthe, and baroque pop for Aphrodite.
Donna Blue are always looking for some extra to add to the mix, hence the bit of jazz they sprinkled on top of On The Cusp of Love, a swirling, cinematic arrangement for Harmony Of Spheres, and using a spinet for White Horses. At first it may seem that Into the Realm of Love offers more of the same, but by going in at the deep end, they have come up with so many gems that a listener may have missed a few the first time around. It is a slow burn that leaves no blisters, but plenty of food for thought instead.
Into the Realm of Love is released via Snowstar Records (vinyl, CD, digital).
Tracks:- Harmony Of Spheres
- Aphrodite
- Fantasy Girl
- All For Show
- The Hourglass
- On The Cusp Of Love
- Mains De L'Amour
- Labyrinthe
- The Hunter
- White Horses
- In Blue
- 03/08 Scheemda, Netherlands @ Grasnapolsky
- 03/14 Groningen, Netherlands @ Vera
- 04/24 Paris, France @ Le Hasard Ludique,
- 04/26 Hamburg, Germany @ Hebebühne
- 04/27 Berlin, Germany @ Kantine Am Berghain
- 05/01 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Huset
- 05/02 Malmö, Sweden @ Plan B
- 05/08 Brugge, Belgium @ Cactus Club
- 05/09 Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Rotown
- 05/10 Utrecht, Netherlands @ De Nijverheid
- 07/03 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
HCTF review of Dark Roses.
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