“Upper Parliament” by The Public Eye sports a rather dark atmosphere. The guitar riffs are not only ominous in note choice but in how they’ve been meticulously distorted and affected. The vocals are angsty and incredibly unique. One of the hallmarks of a great rock band is how recognizable their singer is, and this song is exhibit A. Brimming with drama and seriously poetic lyrics, it sews itself into the fabric of heavy, indie rock.
A crispy, live bass riff starts it all off. In seconds, however, the full band explodes into existence. Guitars rumble. Drums thump. A mysterious drone hangs over the whole thing. The chord progression stems from the minor scale, invoking a mixed bag of subtle emotions before the lyrics even begin. “Crazy world we’re living in these days,” the singer utters, enveloped in rasp. The instrumentation dissolves to just bass and drums, forcing your attention to the words and the wonderfully organic tone of the singer’s voice. By the time we return to the dynamic glory of the intro riff, we’ve digested quite the complex message.
The chorus holds off until about two-thirds of the way through the song, using that same intro riff as a bit of a dynamic tease. When it finally does arrive, the melody, instrumentation, and production value come together to give us the most gratifying, indulgent climax. We’re If there was a blueprint for an effective rock song, “Upper Parliament” would be a contender. The Public Eye really takes you on a ride.
Written by Alyce Lindberg
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