Sunday, March 19, 2017

“All My Friends” by Dermot Kennedy – A Song Review

     It’s a song that reinforces the appreciation of the coordination of instruments with vocals in order to establish an emotion. When Dermot Kennedy addresses his friends during the chorus of “All My Friends,” he is calmly confident that the friends will find their way and is quietly hopeful that he will see them again. Gentle piano is the only support. At other times, the vocals are far more emotive and the instrumentation is in aligned.

     There are three occurrences of the piano-supported chorus. It’s between the second and third that the dynamic nature of “All My Friends” is most apparent. The chorus ends at 2:09, when the piano becomes forceful. What is probably a synth-generated horn section enters a short time later. “Melodic speak” starts at 2:44 and its intensity ramps in synch with the instruments, until the chorus approaches for its final visit.

     “All My Friends is a track from the EP “Doves & Ravens,” which is scheduled for release on April 14. Dermot Kennedy is based in Dublin, Ireland. The song was co-written with Charlie Hugall (Halsey, Låpsley, Florence + the Machine). 


Lyrics of “All My Friends” by Dermot Kennedy
A thief in the night came
Took everything you gave for her
This song isn’t low, lady
It’s remembering love made in the summer

But I think of the things that it taught me
I learned that there’s beauty I can’t keep
Learned that there’s demons in stories
So letting her down, no I won’t be

Whenever she’s calling, she’ll call me
Angry and seething as the sea
Songs in cathedrals in month three
Promise you’ll smile off a memory

And I, I couldn’t stop smiling, like the whole way home
Yea, it should feel like something you were missing

To all my friends, you’ll find your way
Some summer night I hope I see you again
All my friends, I’d love to stay
Some summer night I hope I see you again

Looking up lately
The moon doesn’t chase me no more
Before it was childlike
Lost in the soft light, and so on

And I, I couldn’t stop smiling, like the whole way home
Yea, it should be when she read out all she’d written

To all my friends, you’ll find your way
Some summer night I hope I see you again
All my friends, I’d love to stay
Some summer night I hope I see you again

The smell of rain and streetlight thrown
A love, a lantern in the snow
But when she feels it taking hold
She finds it so hard letting go

How can I tell her that we’ll shine?
She dreads the devils yet to show
So damn reluctant to expose it to me so

So I think of the things that she taught me
She starts to think, “Evil has lost me.”
I walked with the wolves, and it haunts me
She steps with intention to run free
So stunner don’t ever move softly
You’ve been on a journey they can’t see
When dancing in ballrooms, you will lead
Promise you’ll smile off a memory

And I, I couldn’t stop smiling, like the whole way home
Yea, it should feel like something you were missing

To all my friends, you’ll find your way
Some summer night I hope I see you again
All my friends, I’d love to stay
Some summer night I hope I see you again

The smell of rain and streetlight thrown
A love, a lantern in the snow
But when she feels it taking hold
She finds it so hard letting go

How can I tell her that we’ll shine?
She dreads the devils yet to show




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