Dark Room is the second album of Lupe after the debut Burn that was released in 2019. The first single Eyes Cold immediately caught my attention because of the baritone vocals (Michalis is a music teacher and vocal coach). The vocals are low-end in a Type O Negative sense, but still more theatrical. Klaus Nomi and David Bowie were definitely somewhere in the recordings of Dark Room.
The songwriting in Dark Room is based on the piano. Symphonic overtones exist as well. There is a weird sense of melody everywhere. Some progressive rock parts (a-la early Bowie) do appear (for example on the track The Corridor).
Long Train is a journey to a secret destination of the soul and the same titled Dark Room is an art rock song that owes something of its existence to Genesis and Peter Gabriel.
The album doesn't lack straight songs such as the tracks Yet and Torment, but I believe the sound Lupe wants to achieve lies better on tracks like The Crown or Mind Interval or the aforementioned same titled closing track, Dark Room; that is somewhere between opera and art rock.
All in all Dark Room is a very clever album. It is an album that shows the talent of its creator both vocal-wise and in songwriting. It shows a new path to Lupe’s music career, after the claustrophobic, cabaret-drowned debut Burn. Dark Room carries the enthusiasm of getting closer to your own self, realizing reality and drawing down lines to a brighter future. Yes, at the end of the day Dark Room is a bright album that comes from a full of light soul. Just take a look at the cover artwork and you will start getting into its meaning and concept. A fabulous release that will surely grow with time!
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