Credit: Sandra McCurdy Photography
Attom Darcy Blvd is an up and coming musical project in Los Angeles spearheaded by the versatile artist-musician-actor Mick(Matt Carmody). Mick is a multidimensional creative art. Most of the project really revolves around him as he is the main lifeblood of the project shipping of music and lyrics. At Attom Darcy Blvd, that’s exactly what he will be doing – by working hand-in-hand with a host of other expert musicians, producers and engineers, a few of whom are Grammy. The end result is multigenred blues-soul-folk-country-rock and roll, and with a lot of good spirit among them. This partnerships makes sure that every song is nothing short of a well-crafted piece of art, coupled with top-notch production to accompany it. Attom Darcy Blvd is also set to release an EP sometime early 2025, which promises to send shockwaves through the current music scene.
“Let’s Try Again“- released on August 30th, 2024, is an emotional classic soul-inspired modern tune. Beautifully coinciding with the encompassing time of Labour Day weekend, this song would definitely pay an homage to the greats like Etta James and Otis Redding by connecting past with present, making it an interesting ride that feels just right today but nostalgic and rewarding at the same time. An intentionally emotional mood is set right off the bat, drawing listeners into an experience of connection that’s at once heartfelt and bittersweet. The blend between traditional soul with a contemporary twist really speaks to the forward-thinking creativity of Attom Darcy Blvd and celebrates the collaborative magic of these amazing people who brought this song to life.
The quiet, soothing voice of Michelle Carter-an experienced Canadian singer-gave the starting power for the building up of the song raw with powerful structure. Carter’s soft, mellow voice adorns an easy slow-drawn sweet melody that gives a hint of what is to come. The voice consists of emotional essence that powerfully describes feeling intense love tinged with sweetness and fragile. That’s what makes her performance on the stage shine. She perfectly brings the message of the song, which is basically about a loving-committed relationship on the verge of breaking down and the want to fix it.
The time at which the drums come in is at 18 seconds setting; they set the other instruments on fire. It is at this time-the time at which your whole path is through these smooth elements-to a very graceful beautiful singing by Carter. Critically-acclaimed drummer Curt “Kirkee B.” does the drum beats. Legendary musician Bisquera’s contributions to this song, known for collaborations with such greats as Elton John and Joni Mitchell, adds another dimension of authenticity to this song. The beats rhythms are consistent and deliberate-giving that old style feel to a beat and driving it through completely easy-moving natural means. For this, they have established groundwork of sound which later helps all the instruments chaotically melt together to produce a dense vibrancy for which the vocals are cradled in.
Usage of instruments overall here progresses very far toward subtlety and restraint. Even the smallest subtleties give a specific sanction in parts: sob-bass wind guitar strums, piano tones, bass hums amplifying the emotional textures sung in the song. Production was spearheaded by Joe Cruz who has very greatly worked with Carly Rae Jepsen while mixing was done by the iconic 12-time Grammy Award winner Josh Gudwin making quite a rich and personal sonic space. Each instrument is painstakingly adjusted or tuned so that one-of-Carter’s vocals are not completely drowned. Recording vocals at one of the many iconic incredible places-NRG studios in North Hollywood-mixing in another legendary place, Henson studios, where many legends have recorded, gives further depth of richness to the sound.
The song tells the story of a lover who is traversing the treacherous territory of an unsuccessful relationship. Cast in the role of the lover, she perfuses the exploration with poignant knowingness that her love is dwindling, she puts it succinctly, resolving, trying once more, reconciling, and rebuilding that which has been lost with all desire. Mind and soul must be poured into this song with feelings creating an echo that has very pure unadulterated quality-perfectly captures the rumor. She sings and possesses an astonishingly deep evocation of hunger and frailty in its performance, rendering it in something other than an act-but a beautiful imagery of the struggle and hope of trying to save a dying love.
Really “Let’s Try Again” brings back memories, fresh and perfectly timed. The piece is a fusion of the classic and modern sound production of soul and blues in today’s production values. This warmth and richness from the analog recordings contrasted quite well with clarity and precision from the digitized world in producing what one would term as perfect sound. What one listens to here is a virtually timeless music piece that confounds any audience of any time.
The interpretations in Carter’s vocals gets crescendo as the song continues; the orchestration gets heavy; hence, there is an infusion of emotional weight in the song. The expectancy of a listener would be this smooth assembly of individual strands of the song into creating this crescendo organically developing without effort. The listener gets fully sucked into the experience at the song’s climax: when it presents the unfolding emotional offering, “Let’s Try Again.” It’s beyond music; it’s how love goes up-and-down in sound, I think, charmingly modeled and strangely skilled for today’s music. This is one of those songs you need to hear, by virtue and emotion as well as sheer artistry.
Finally, in addition to being almost obviously so well thought out, “Let’s Try Again‘” also gets to the heart of the talents from Attom Darcy Blvd. It marks a major milestone along the way that the project might next take to extend some of its most prized lines into genre bending and unfamiliar musical territory. Michelle Carter’s strenuous vocal delivery underscores the superb levels of last quality production and emotionally compelling lyrics associated with this track in Attom Darcy Blvd’s discography. This is a song that honors the legends past, whilst standing proud in today’s music world. One must hear such a song for its perfect technical aspects and its ability to reach even the innermost soul.
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Listen to “Let’s Try Again” by Attom Darcy Blvd and many more in our Classical, World, Root, Jazz, International playlist.
