Anna Lena & The Orchids – View Of My Sanity

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted (anything! haha) some dark music, so here’s Ana Lena & The Orchids. I’m unusually critical of most dark music because I think it can get too heavy handed or wander into Evanescence territory, but this stuff is just right!  Frankly, it’s a lot easier to get on board with something that’s lighthearted, even if the lyrics are decidedly depressing. That said, when it comes to darkity dark songs, my tastes usually fall into two specific categories: Southern Gothic and Urban Grit. Either I want to hear the twang of swamp zombies or in Ana’s case, I want to feel like I’m walking through some endless, fictional city street that’s as unclean as it is wet. In “View of My Sanity” you can practically hear an almost Lovecraft kind of crazy. The piano twinges like rain, her voice haunts and the pace changes in a clockwork waltz.

But, I think what really endears me to this song is that it reminds me a LOT of Jeff Buckley. He had much higher energy, but they both lend themselves to sinking lyrics and sharp guitars. Buckley took a couple listens, but once you understood the pacing of his music, he hooked you in. And, it’s the same thing with this song. I knew I liked it the first time I heard it, but each listen sneaks it further and further under my skin.