Dark Dark Dark revel in the world around us. On their sophomore album Wild Go, the chamber-folk sextet creates a stirring reminder to seek out the wonder and magic to be found in the everyday. Their sound sets Nona Marie Invie's soaring, haunting voice against an array of acoustic instruments, all the while leaving room for the listener to nestle themselves inside and take part. The 10-song collection is a marked evolution for the group, which began in 2006 as a collaboration between Minneapolis-based musicians Nona Marie Invie and Marshall LaCount. These two songwriters bring together disparate influences including minimalism, New Orleans jazz, Americana, Eastern European folk, and pop. With stark contrast in texture, tone, and imagery, the band has expanded and redefined their sound.
Wild Go's first single “Daydreaming” features Invie's warm voice and piano supported by spare, clean drums, guitar with lush reverb, cascades of dirty, distorted banjo, and an accordion wandering through the harmonies. Written in response to Elephant Micah's homesick dirge “Wild Goose Chase”, the song illustrates the growth of the band's sound and songwriting over the past two years. “'Wild Goose Chase' really touched me,” Invie says. “I wanted to reciprocate in a way that captured a moment in my own life. I've been traveling and touring for so long now – and it's been great – but I have this internal conflict between having a nomadic lifestyle and needing a home.”
In the studio the band worked with producer Tom Herbers (a Minneapolis stalwart known for his credits with the Jayhawks, Low, and Soul Asylum), recording live to tape at three different Minneapolis locations including a renovated church/studio and an old theater. Of all the influences on Wild Go, perhaps the greatest is their dedication to live performance and touring, where many of Dark Dark Dark's songs first come to life. Playing together, the band lifts Invie and LaCount's songs to another level. “We try to create a magical space with our performances,” Invie reveals. “I'm always blown away by the number of people that come up to me afterward and say how much the music touched them. I love it when people can dance and have fun at our shows, but it's when people are quiet and I can tell that they are feeling it on a personal level that I feel like I'm really connecting.” Wild Go was released in October 2010 in the US on Supply & Demand Music, and April 2011 on Melodic in the UK and Europe.
