Showmanship is a part of music. Your performance while playing your music is an important part of any musical artistry and bringing the listener into that frame of mind while they enjoy it on their own can be a powerful thing to invoke. With “All That Should Have Been,” Night Wilds releases a powerful album whose engaging showmanship cannot be denied. It all begins with “The Curtain.”
“The Curtain” and “The Show” are equally as bombastic with the over-the-top circus aesthetics in their music. The sinister edge that the vocals and lyrics bring become indulgent when the guitars explode just before the minute mark during “The Show.” As the guitars grow wild and the shredding goes from rhythmic to face-melting, it blends in with the big top cartoonishness perfectly to become a track that you can’t help but start rocking out to towards the end.
“Mother” is a track that serves as an intro to the one that follows it, “Fear.” The tender warmth in “Mother” can be felt from start to finish thanks to soft violins, piano keys and the music box-style sounds. When “Fear” comes after it, the tone completely changes and all the warmth is traded in for mournful, descending guitars and sinister synths. The eeriness of the track is cinematic and wastes no time in plunging the listener into its dark depths before the vocal performance begins to lead you out. The solitude felt when vocalist Seth Micarelli sings “fear is a funny thing. It takes almost everything and it turns it into fire” is moving and emotional, allowing the raw power of the words to speak while the more cinematic qualities of the music take a back seat. Moments such as this and when Micarelli channels Bowie when he sings “and the dark is such a funny place, there are faces on the wall that know my name” before the emotions swell up and come through with a powerful scream. “Mother” and “Fear” combine to create a dark exploration of the mind and gives the first chunk of this album a lot of emotional weight for the listener to chew on.
“Control” has a cheeky and clever intro, with a faint guitar riff that turns out to be a ringtone for a cell phone before breaking into the track proper. When it does, it wastes no time in laying down a catchy riff of its own as the rest of the track slowly fills out before Micarelli kicks things off with “well this is what you wanted.” The bassline is sinister, and creeps beneath the smooth beat of the drums while the guitars hit you softly as the riffs alternate from ear to ear. As the track rounds its first chorus, the delivery is breathtaking as the vocal power completely takes over the song. It makes the second half of the track feel incredibly cinematic as Micarelli completely sheds all reservations and fully embraces the chaos of the rock and roll around him. “Control” is a track that oozes style, with a memorable chorus and killer guitar riffs that will have you rocking out with them by the time it’s all over.
“Tired” is a track that stands out with its unrelenting groove. Right after a soft intro, a crazy laughter immediately kicks the track into overdrive with kickin’ drums, a smooth bassline that gets really low and guitars that start off with a psychedelic twang before settling into a heavy, distorted groove. The Americana influence is strong in “Tired” and can be felt from the top, with Micarelli channeling a much more rugged and grounded vocal aesthetic that makes lines such as “I stay and wash the dirt from my hands, and I’ll be what I am, just a simple man” have a practical weight that defies the over-the-top nature of the first half of the album. Just after the 2-minute mark, the track hits you with a reverb-laced guitar solo that rocks right on top of the rest of the instrumental. It’s airy and psychedelic, elevating the track before it brings itself back to the ground. Combined with another catchy chorus that stays with you long after the track is over, “Tired” is a refreshing stand-out that illustrates the range of Night Wilds.
“All That Should Have Been” is a wild ride. From start to finish, the album is jam-packed full of surprises that you would never see coming if you only listened to a few songs off of it. Every track has its own personality and adds to the charm of the album, including tracks such as “Mother” that feel like the first part of the track that follows it. The deeply personal nature of each one is enrapturing and makes you want to hear the next song like you’d want to read the next chapter in an exciting story. While the over-the-top and cinematic nature of some of tracks may not be for everyone, “All That Should Have Been” rises above any small criticism to bring the listener an excellent album packed with catchy tracks that combine to create an incredibly memorable whole.
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