If you desire a charmingly melancholic, indie acoustic experience, then this song Blackbird, by the little-known band Shake Shake Go, is for you. Formed in 2012, the London based indie folk band Shake Shake Go started out playing their collection of pop folk anthems along the streets of Britain and touring across UK and Europe as well as sharing stages with James Blunt as a supporting act on the UK leg of his 2014 World Tour. Since then, they have released a debut single England Skies (2014), and two albums, All In Time (2016) and Homesick (2018).
This song, Blackbird, is from the latter and was also released as a single in 2018. As the gentle, deeply flowing acoustic tones spill languidly from Virgile Rozand’s guitar in the opening bars, one immediately feels themselves slipping into a state of relaxation. Then the soulful, natural voice of Welsh-born Poppy Jones lilts into the melody. As the verse melds into the chorus the addition of a drumbeat played by Kilian Saubasse provides a moving sense of impact to the song as it progresses into the following verse which is given additional impact by small flourishes of a cymbal.
Lyrically, this song evokes the melancholy imagery of a young adult estranged from their father remembering how, as a child they used to stand at the front door waiting for him to come home, they ponder on their regrets about not spending more time with him and hope that he’s known that they’ve always cared about him. There is an insinuation that the father is dead, with the blackbird sitting on barbed wire serving as a metaphor for the narrator’s grief.
Other songs by this band well worth listening to are: England Skies, for another acoustic experience, Fake Love, a catchy song this time featuring the electric guitar, Teach Me to Fly, a triumphantly uplifting listen, and We Are Now, another upbeat acoustic song. Out of their two albums, I personally would recommend All in Time which is wholly uplifting in its content and a real joy to listen to.
Splendid Fred Magazine 