1. Blue Skies (Rules)
2. Cool Waters (Exile)
3. Sitting On A Sunday (Quarantine)
Two years after releasing their second album, The David Bowie Knives have again blessd us with their third and final collection of songs— “Exile on Argyle St.” With inspirations from The Platters, George Harrison and other artists, this 3-song EP is the final swansong of the David Bowie Knives. According to the official description, this album is “A blistering 3 song EP drawing on influences as diverse as whisky, COVID & sunshine.” That being said, let’s jump straight into the EP!
Opening song, Blue Skies, starts with guitars playing in a relaxed, groovy style, almost reminding me of Louise Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World. This song maintains this relaxed, laidback feel, like relaxing at the beach, and the lyrics match this feel with its simplicity. Cool Waters has a slightly faster beat but still has that simple and relaxed vibe. This song is about packing belongings and leaving for another place, while the singer encourages us not to wait, to dream and to jump into the cool waters with him. Sitting on a Sunday follows a similar quick but feel-good style, where the drums are more prominent and have more complex beats. Unlike the other two songs, this song seems to be directed at a person the singer is close to, like a partner or close friend. In short, these three songs have a feel-good, relaxed and sincere vibe and are genuinely fantastic.
From a wider perspective, this album feels a lot more intimate and sincere. While I admittedly have not heard of this indie band and their songs before, I thoroughly enjoy listening to this album. Not only do the songs feel like they are showing stories, the simple and somewhat ‘raw’ lyrics feel more sincere and captivating. However, the title name has a sense of resignation and reluctance. which seeps through the songs. I suppose it hits home for the members of this band, as they have been making and performing songs in Hong Kong for a long time. With the bass player leaving Hong Kong, the band has split up. In that sense, this album is like a ‘farewell’ to many years in HK.
While I could go on dissecting every word in these three songs and interpreting their meaning, I should keep this short and understandable. I sincerely appreciate the songs The David Bowie Knives have created, their performances and everything else they have done. Whether you have heard their songs before or not, go check out this EP which can be listened to and bought on bandcamp.
– Josh
