If you’re one of those people that gets really excited at the idea of an unreleased, never-before-heard track from The Beatles’ catalog, “While You Shine” by The Velvoids is the next best thing. Drenched in retro influences and brimming with songwriting prowess, this song genuinely feels like it’s from the sixties. The guitar tones have that psychedelic tremolo and the vocals eke out an idle slowness through a layer of distortion. It’s hypnotically brooding, inching along down these classic, chromatic changes. You’re left with this numb, buttery feeling.
A high-pitched chime clicks out the tempo. A tom-heavy drum fill ushers in the rest of the band: “Tones like drones are clones and when they’re done / They’ll call me in.” There are two notable things about this line–one is that the melody literally does drone for most of the phrase, and the other is that these lyrics have that wonderfully nonsensical atmosphere so often present in sixties or seventies music. Both solidify it as a strange yet devilishly clever choice.
While this track does have some sectionality, the lines are somewhat blurred because of the repetitive nature of the melodies. There’s certainly a pleasant juxtaposition between the lower, more static verse lines and the higher, more legato outro. Otherwise, the dynamic energy is pretty unchanging–but that’s just the genre. It’s supposed to keep you feeling a tad bit melancholy.
Give The Velvoids a listen! You’ll adore their distinctive sound. Plus, they might just offer you a bit of nostalgia along the way.
Written by Alyce Lindberg
FOLLOW THE VELVOIDS
