Mahogany Frog – A Decision of the Flower (2022)
With their new album Faust, Mahogany Frog creates an ambitious score set to the 1926 silent German film of the same name. ‘A Decision of the Flower’ is the first single from the album and sets the scene of courtship between the characters Faust and Gretchen. Through the single, the band opens the story of when Faust meets Gretchen and tastes true love. What follows is the initial courtship of the characters and the blossoming of this new love.
While the music of the album as a whole is complex and dynamic, this single offers a gentler touch, with pulsing piano underscored by the vibration of the drums. A fully instrumental single, the band uses their musicality to bring the story of the track to life through each note. The music of this single carries more than the initial bloom of love as it allows listeners to ride into the tragic fate of the main characters.
‘A Decision of the Flower’ has a gentle opening of soft tones that have you floating to their sound. There is a slight feeling of melancholy to the opening line, but this is tempered by the overall softness that reaches out into the ether. Against the organic line of the initial instrumentation, there is an electronic tone that tries to make its way into the music. This little tone turns into a searching feeling that lights and warbles against the instrumentation. The softness of the music is delicate and tender which creates the initial blossoming of true love. Through the music, you can feel the tender touch of affection.
This tenderness gains a rising wave of rock that starts with a tapering off of the light notes. The darker and deeper tones that rise have a rather ominous feeling to them, bringing the underlying chaos of the story. The bass and drums thrum through your chest before shuffling you forward, while the electric piano gains an atmospheric vibe. The rock touches of the melody are masterfully handled as they enhance the spiral into love with the foreshadowing of something terrible to come. While there is this heavy sense of foreboding, everything comes to a light end with the deep vibrations lightening for the gentle opening tones to come back.
Mahogany Frog uses complex layers of sound to draw you into the story of Faust and Gretchen falling in love in ‘A Decision of the Flower’. The instrumental tones of the single move from gentle and soft to a rising darkness that cascades into the happiness of the opening. The arrangement of the music is beautiful and perfectly captures the emotions of the story.
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