Weekend Supplement 2: Parralox featuring Ryan Adames ~ Silent Morning

Confession ~ Today, I was going to write about Parralox's new album, Recovery, which is available across all fine online emporiums right now (see bottom of post for details). The album is an eclectic selection of cover versions, deconstructed and recreated by the talented duo to exquisite effect. However, as I sat and listened to it I realised that I needed to immerse myself in the music for longer to pick up on the nuances and subtlety that rewards multiple listens; I needed more time to formulate the words that did justice to this stunning body of work. So a review is coming - just not yet! In the meantime (and in between time - ooo, obscure The Party reference!) I've been spending a lot of time with their current single Silent Morning, featuring Ryan Adames (who I wrote about recently with his love is love inspired Justin Beiber cover) . John and Amii (who make up Parralox) already seduced & intrigued me with their wonderful song How Do You Break A Robot's Heart (listen here) - Silent Morning continues the love affair & has me hanging on their every note, synth beep and word with smitten devotion. It's built around a buoyant synth riff that just percolates with dramatic cymbal infused crashes and down & dirty bass notes that give an insistent groove; this provides the perfect backdrop for the simmering passion & emotion that's deeply ingrained in the lyrical content of the tune with both Ryan and Amii providing the sweet, sweet melody with their gorgeous vocal delivery. And the duet actually enhances the nature of the song - Ryan has a fiery yearning in his singing that underscores the irresistable longing whilst Amii's delicious voice (often reminiscent of early Madonna songs) provides a sweet, seemingly innocent balance to the proceedings. There's also a wistful sadness as this tempestuous love hits bumps in the road, leading to the analogy of that silent morning. It's apt that they've done a covers album that is so entrenched in 80s synth classics because their music here draws influences from Erasure, Madonna, Depeche Mode and even Savage Garden - yet there is a contemporary sheen (particularly across the plethora of remixes) & enough intuitive innovation to make Parralox stand out as their own brand. Examples of this include the clever use of vocodered voices between the chorus and second verse to align that heavenly synthy backdrop with as great importance as the vocal delivery; and the switcheroo in verse 2 where Ryan now sings second instead of first, making the narrative even more intriguing. Add into this heady mix that sensual video above (where all 3 look ridiculously gorgeous proving that no one ever will say "Can Parralox and Ryan be hotter please") and it's a winning combination that has me hitting repeat often. Oh and may I thank whoever decided that Ryan should be topless for most of the video - it's certainly given me a happy :)

Buy the single here and remixes here...
Buy the Recovery album here...