Scarlett's Roses ~ Nightmares

The song may be two years old, but I'll never pass up an opportunity to write about the brilliantly talented band Scarlett's Roses - and their track Nightmares is just perfect for Hallowe'en. Flying high from the release of their sterling EP, Bloomin' earlier this year, Nightmares serves as an amazing precuror to that rather marvelous piece of work. Nightmares is an amazing example of how the band manage to work within the indie music scene whilst retaining a jaunty pop edge to their tunes. It's also the most stunning example of a band with such different musical influences bringing them together (Ryan's love of Amy Winehouse & ska, Scarlett sounding like a post modern Britney, Ollie's ability to provide some genius rapping, etc) to coalesce into something quite magical. It's set to a bubbly, bouncing, handclap beat that instantly draws the listener into the song; this is enhanced by the vibrant, jangly guitars setting a peppy pace for Ryan, Scarlett & Ollie to work their vocal magic around. Ryan's up first - there's something really quite intriguing about his voice, a candid raw honesty that shines through with every note he sings. It brings a passion to his performances that is as appealing as the young fella is himself :) Similarly, Scarlett joins in with her sweetly innocent vocals, it's pop utopia that is utterly irresistable. The refrain of "my nightmares disappear when I'm lying in your bed" is deliciously romantic & works as a juxtaposition to the incredible middle 8. This is where Ollie delivers an intense rap that summarises & brings to life the true nightmare of the song - the possibility of not being with the one you love, the one who completes you (and all that this means to the different parties involved - trust, doubt, reassurance, etc). The fact that Scarlett sings behind the rap adds to the growing sense of the ferocious emotion Ollie brings to the song - I'm not a massive rap aficionado but this is one of the best 45 seconds of rap I've heard in a long time. Eminem would most surely be jealous. It's more than a pop song, it's a work of art. So Scarlett's Roses - they keep my dreams coming baby :)

PS - pause at 1m28s exactly for a truly terrifying screen capture of Ryan :D