Irian Darkwood – Greensleeves (2024)
Instead of merely making music, singer-songwriter Irian Darkwood is the music. I’m not saying she’s a weird cartoon character with guitar strings for hair and an accordion as a stomach; no, she throws herself into every chord so listening to her music is seeing a part of her soul… and ours if you think about the evocative emotion behind her songs. The brainchild of Canada-based musician Carol Bernardo, Irian Darkwood pushes the boundaries of rock music conventionalism adding hints of blues, soul and even country to her hard rock/metal tone. The latest addition to her discography is the single ‘Greensleeves’.
Produced and composed with Njord Forsell, Darkwood’s ‘Greensleeves’ twists the iconic English folk song into a hard rock melody with a contemporary tale relevant to the 21st-century world. Lying beneath the pounding drums and soaring guitar, you hear the hint of the original tune adding a hint of heartfelt familiarity; however, the metal-infused rush of music adds darker, heavier, more intense emotions. Speaking about bad internet experiences along with the conversation between the creepy voice on the other side of the computer screen, Darkwood melds tender joy and beautiful romance with the gritty ‘Greensleeves’. She explains:
“You know how women always talk about all of these creepy experiences they have on the internet? Well, I wrote ‘Greensleeves’ to address that issue… While I make fun of the situations, the reality is, that sometimes it’s really very annoying and sometimes scary on the internet when things like this happen. I wanted ‘Greensleeves’ to be something people would have fun with, laugh at, and identify with, to kind of bring awareness to the issue…”
The melody itself is inspiring with its intricate arrangement and complex composition, but it is Darkwood’s vocals that stand out as the real kicker. Bold and brash, with a lingering sense of humour and rage, there is a fire-burning ferocity within the dulcet tones scrubbing away the disillusionment of internet relationships.
In addition to the single, Irian Darkwood released an official music video for ‘Greensleeves’. You can view the video below or via her YouTube channel. Please note that this music video uses lighting effects and rapid image transitions that can trigger migraines and/or seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
Find out more about Irian Darkwood on her official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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