Hailing from Halifax but with a sound like Chicago, The Tin Pan Darlings’ five-year-long project, Inside a Melody, is finally out to the public. Where the current musical landscape is heavily defined by digital drum beats and emphasis on contemporary sound, the five-member jazz outfit dares to take us back to the roots of it all, scattering their talents across the nine tracks to bring a vintage brand of jazz back into the fray.
The subtlety in the music between the album’s nine tracks is a stand-out positive. There is a relaxed, night-life blues vibe that is an ever-present factor throughout, but the acute differences in instrumentation, coupled with lead vocalist Tracy Anderson’s lyrics, give each track a personality that could easily grab the attention of any jazz club-goer.
The titular track, “Inside a Melody,” invites the listener to get lost in their thoughts while forcing them to enjoy every minute of it. The quicker tempo and alluring percussion beckons you to keep up with Anderson’s voice as it gently carries you through the album’s powerful opening.
On the opposite end of the tracklist is “Your Memory is A Song,” an appropriately titled blues track about a love that once was. The accessible theme and lyrics pair nicely with an instrument makeup that’s unmistakable for a jazz feel.
Performing their live shows alongside an original, black-and-white, silent-era film shot entirely in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, The Tin Pan Darlings are truly paying homage to the entertainment of yesterday. The Tin Pan Darlings might be going back to the well and drawing deep from Louis Jordan and Ella Fitzgerald but they could give modern music the shake-up it needs.
Inside A Melody was released on March 18th, 2018.
Tour Dates:
March 21, 2018 – Second Wind Centre, Florenceville-Bristol, NB
March 22, 2018 – Five & Dime, Saint John, NB
March 23, 2018 – Sackville Commons, Sackville, NB
March 24, 2018 – Grimross, Fredericton, NB