The English alternative rock band The Good, The Bad & The Queen released their performance video for their track “The Truce of Twilight”. The video is directed by Paul Simonon, the bassist for the band.
“The Truce of Twilight” is a track on the band’s most recent album Merrie Land. The song is musically rich song and classically alternative rock. The bass line anchors the song, is repetitive throughout, and simply, pretty cool. The mellotron plays off and on and highlights the bass line to create a futuristic and indie sound. The sustained guitar notes ring out and keep listeners waiting for more. Unlike most rock songs of today, The Good, The Bad & The Queen added in a small horn section later in the song which includes an alto saxophone, trombone and a trumpet that staccatos throughout. Also noteworthy is the decision to add a bassoon player, which makes the song that much more intriguing.
The lyrics to the song are avant-garde and tricky to interpret. Lead vocalist Damon Albarn expresses his critiques of the English society he lives in and seems to be quite pessimistic during the final section of the song as he repeats “Look what we have done.” Other lyrics like “Enjoy it while it lasts because soon it will be different, Pernicious playgrounds and new age cultism” employ dark themes into the work that make the song slightly unnerving. The song is very multilayered making the track musically and lyrically complicated, interesting, and quite edgy.
The performance video for “The Truce of Twilight” is equally as edgy as the lyrics and melody. The black and white video shows the four band members performing in an empty studio. The distorted and fuzzy style of the video recalls older and cooler times. The musician’s clothes emphasize this concept as they don 70s garb complete with dark blazers, hats, and glasses. Though the musicians looks calm and collected, their straight faced expressions are sobering and draw attention to the seriousness of the lyrics. However, the video still maintains an air of quirkiness as it ends with the four band members looking down at the camera holding dogs, and closes with a lone cigarette burning out on the ground.
Currently, the lineup for the band includes Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen. The Good, The Bad & The Queen began with lead singer Albarn, who got his start in music when working with the Gorillaz on their second album Demon Days. Initially influenced by African music, the band mainly sings about London and, before putting together an album, mainly performed live events. In 2007 the band released their first full length album entitled The Good, The Bad, & The Queen. After over a decade the band finally released their second album Merrie Land. Among other videos released off their Merrie Land album include “Gun to the Head” and “Merrie Land”.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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