Colm Slattery
Feb 12, 20212 min
The Director's Cut – Star
The Director’s Cut goes for a brutal, brooding take on modern classical on the dissonant “Star”. Emotionally fraught, the way the song becomes gradually unhinged is a true joy to behold. Such an intense approach they manage to convey an entire story without needing to say a single word. Layer upon layer enters into the mix adding to the sheer density of sound. Becoming quite harrowing as the work unfolds, it is the sort of spirit that gives goosebumps for there is a sense of tragedy that comes into focus, further defined by the way they allow the distortion to reign supreme.
Piano introduces the piece. Sorrowful in its execution, the piano’s joy appears to be a way of keeping some sort of rhythm into the mix. The tension grows and grows until it becomes something that is virtually bursting at the seams. Right in the background one can sense the feeling that things are about to drop, that everything will in fact fully and completely collapse. When it does happen the entirety of the piece has a freefalling scope, one where there is no bottom as the darkness of the work consumes literally everything in its path. Cyclical in nature however means that the song cycles back to its humble, quiet beginning now with the additional element of the decaying sound lingering right in the periphery as the whole of the piece gradually fades out.
An intense trip to experience, THE DIRECTOR'S CUT delivers something truly gripping on “Star”.