August 2006

Evolution Of Media - posted August 18th 2006:

Songs For Suicidal Lovers: Shamus Dark

Shamus Dark is a mysterious Englishman living in Malaysia, who has recorded an album that is by turns stunning and depressing, Songs For Suicidal Lovers. This collection of world-weary songs encompasses Jazz, Country and Rock, and Shamus sings all of them like a man possessed. An understated tour de force.

By now it’s a well known fact that the British have a greater appreciation for American music history--and that includes everything from 40’s/50’s Tin Pan Alley standards to 50’s R&B--than Yanks do. They have proved it time and time again, and here’s yet more proof from a very unexpected source: a mysterious, reclusive Englishman named Shamus Dark has recorded an album of mostly Jazz standards that spans the decades from the 30’s to the 80’s.

Shamus has lived a very colorful life (for the full story, go to www.shamusdark.com) that hasn’t always been good to him, but through it all he has retained a profound love of songs from the golden age of vocalists and songwriters. That devotion and his world weary vocals are the foundation of his long-in-coming debut album Songs For Suicidal Lovers. And no title was more descriptive of an album’s contents, for these songs are aural film noirs. Each song is identified with a classic vocalist capable of downbeat heartache or end-of-the-world resignation, and Shamus--aided and abetted by Pete Millward’s sympathetic production and Electronica-meets-Jazz-meets-lounge music arrangements--gives the masters a run for their money by milking each lyric for its sadness quotient, while never delving into pathos or squandering the mood. He has that British gift for conveying meaning without resorting to the over singing or vocal tricks that Americans are often so fond of.

Shamus sensitively essays “Angel Eyes” (Sinatra), “Good Morning Heartache” (Billie Holiday), “Willow Weep For Me” (originally written in the 30’s, but covered by everyone and a hit for Chad & Jeremy in the 60’s), and “I Get Along Without You Very Well” (Hoagy Carmichael) with the assurance of someone who has had a lifetime of experience to draw upon. Even songs that seem out of step with the rest of the project--Joy Division’ s “Atmosphere”, Hank Williams’ “Weary Blues”, and the two original compositions by Millward, “The Party’s Over” and “The End Of The World”--make perfect sense when Shamus wraps his pipes around them.

The biographical information that came with this CD suggested that it be filed under “queasy listening”; they certainly got that right, this album is not for everyone. But anyone who isn’t afraid to delve into the dark side of Pop music (or is a fan of people like Tom Waits and Elliott Smith) then I urge you to give Songs For Suicidal Lovers a spin.

Written By: Gina Morris