Blindness & Light – The Old Skylight (2023)
In an interview with Lost In The Manor, Colin M. Potter notes that he first “played guitar in front of 200 doting parents in the school hall at the age of 9. I think that nerve-racking event switched me on for life…” – and we’re really glad it did. Technically the brainchild of UK-based Potter, Blindness & Light is an informal collective of talented artists. Based on Spotify, Potter has been releasing music as Blindness & Light since 2022 but his sophisticated sound surely shows he has far more experience. The latest addition to his discography is the single ‘The Old Skylight’.
Following his well-received tracks ‘The Tannhäuser Gate’ and ‘The Ballad Of Them And Us’, ‘The Old Skylight’ embodies the best of 80s post-punk and grunge. Finding the line between The Velvet Underground and Joy Division there is a grittiness to the melody; however, it is Potter’s obscure vocals that bring a distinctive sound to this artist. The dynamic guitars and pounding drums appear in a distorted package of grunge but the incorporation of a trumpet and backing vocals add something special to ‘The Old Skylight’. I have to give a shout-out to the trumpet simultaneously blending in with other instrumentation but bringing a distinctive funkiness to ‘The Old Skylight’.
As with ‘The Ballad Of Them And Us’, ‘The Old Skylight’ sees Potter collaborate with various artists. On the bass, we have Elise S. Potter, the trumpet courtesy of Helena Doughty, and Helen Reynolds on backing vocals. Producer Tony Denmade creates a well-textured arrangement to not only fold everything in a harmonic way but also bring a rawness to the elegant melody. He embraces grunge but inserts the different elements each instrument brings to the track – like I said, the trumpet brings funkiness.
While the melody can hold its own and would probably make a grand instrumental track, the lyricism aligns perfectly with the bold richness and gritty roughness to ‘The Old Skylight’. Potter explains that ‘The Old Skylight’ interprets hopefulness within chaos – “even in a maelstrom of conflict and destruction it is still possible to find tranquillity, peace and hope for the future…”
For more from Blindness & Light, check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
