First published in Issue 3 of The Warragul Citizen. (12 December 2011, Page 7.)
Skeleton is the first single from Missouri-based one-man-band He Dreamt Of Ascension (HDOA), and is as interesting for its B-sides as it is for the title track.
Skeleton is a disjointed-yet-musical rock song that somehow manages to successfully evoke the feel of a skeleton walking. The song delves into the listener’s hidden past, playing with the idea of the skeleton of an umbrella in your mind hiding your secrets from the world.
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The Ungrateful mix of Skeleton is a dance remix which digs up outtakes from the original track. This revived content sometimes sounds like a mix of The Mighty Boosh and The Cure. The mix is not as musical as the original, but has a catchy rhythm that leaves you hanging on every beat.
The remaining four tracks are two radio edits of the Skeleton mixes and two stunning ambient tracks: Beauty Into Filth and The All-embracing Apex. Beauty Into Filth is a motif-driven piece which carries the same feel as the title track.
The All-embracing Apex is the stand-out of the B-sides. Hidden at the end of the single it is like a cross between NASA’s Symphonies of the Planets and the B-sides from Radiohead’s Amnesiac. This track demonstrates just how well HDOA blends wonderfully controlled ambient music with Doctor Popular-like lead instrumentation.
The single is streaming on HDOA’s website, with the option of a pay-what-you-think download of individual tracks or the entire single. www.hedreamtofascension.com. Direct link to the single: goo.gl/2sgHj
