Greek Theatre and Bethany May (of We Have Love), “Fay Wray,” unreleased demo
I never cease to be amazed at what Sven Fröberg and Fredrik Persson, the two musical scientists of Greek Theatre, are able to do. This demo, or work-in-progress, shows them at their best. Bethany May, the top-notch vocalist of We Have Love, recorded the basic piano and vocal tracks of this song (on their MySpace page you will hear a very different sound). And she got it right from the beginning: making a melody, progression and drama round the glorious concept of Fay Wray, who broke many a heart with her performance in ‘King Kong.’ One can imagine screaming “as Fay Wray” if the object of one’s affection doesn’t reciprocate. That in itself is an interesting twist, for Wray’s character was of course screaming against a perceived monster. It is a beautiful lyric, built on the rhythmic pulse of piano, and a deep meditative repetition. I might add that I am interested in the use of “as” in her construction, instead of “like”—this is an interesting semantic turn, and also makes for a more poetic delivery.
Given May’s strong basic tracks, Fröberg and Persson have made a bit of magic here with the addition of four ukuleles, two fat guitar drones, one surf lead guitar, bass (three! in fact), three pianos, noise on piano strings, harmonica, bells, and last but not least a masterful bit of drumming. The opening drum fill belies expectations. The “screaming” tremolo-infected lead guitar wails with May’s vocal. Greek Theatre excels at making moods, as in the two previous tracks that have appeared here (“Hold On” and “Close in My Arms”). Now the collaborative “Fay Wray” has all the marks of their strongest work—layer upon layer of deliberately built sound and feeling, never unnecessary, and always given for a reason. One final sound, that sounds almost like a gasp after the piano trails off, is a bit of terminal genius, a sigh countering the scream. If this is just a demo, a work-in-progress, we have only to wait to hear the finished version to be further amazed.
Greek Theatre on MySpace
We Have Love on MySpace
Also previously on Hallock Hill: read here. Other links to HH audio posts above.
