Walkerswood is a fantastic few minutes of music. The rhythm put out from the very beginning is one that takes control of the space around you; the melody and lyrics that follow simply add further to this hypnotic effect. The experimental and theatrical nature of Mike Bee and the Dead Soldiers’ music is superbly strong within this track. The story unfolds alongside a seemingly light hearted and easy going fusion of rhythm and guitars. As always, the structure has a mind of it’s own, the songwriter and the band have exercised their right to create freely and independently, and the result is something quite mesmerizing.
This is another song that seems to end very suddenly, just as you’re getting used to the concept and various stops and starts. It makes you want to immediately press play again, just to check. What it is that you’re checking is unclear, but still, it feels important to check. It’s a good time to mention as well that the array of music videos that have been created to accompany the songs from this EP are, in themselves, significantly free and fairly psychedelic in their expression. The colours and the images that swiftly appear and mutate and evolve as the music washes over you have the effect of furthering even more so that overwhelming creative freedom; which is such a huge part of the sound Mike Bee and the Dead Soldiers put forth.
As mentioned at the start, Walkerswood is, by all accounts, a fantastic song. The melody is so joyful sounding; dramatic, but fun, and yet classically soaked in that weird and wonderful thought process that is the essence of this music. At just over a minute into the track, the whole thing seems to split in half, and two new snippets of song appear, alongside a whole new scene and soundscape. Those space age, distorted guitar slides step into the spotlight just enough times to make you remember, to recapture that familiar thread that makes these songs the songs of Mike Bee and the Dead Soldiers – despite the immense variation and creative freedom, there are most certainly one or two elements of what is undeniably their sound.
Listen to and read our write-ups for Despise The Lie, Black Sun, Won’t Walk Away, and Take It Back. Grab your copy of the EP over on CDBaby.
