Tracks
My Brightest Diamond: "Dragonfly"
(2006)
By Dominick Duhamel | 29 January 2008
Neko has her pitch-perfect pipes, Sufjan has his knack for arrangement, Bejar has his immaculately conceived internal world. Everybody’s got a gimmick, or, failing that, a calling card. Hell, even Jenny Lewis has her average-girl-with-an-average-voice image to play on. It’s not until these strengths are fully realized that their owners produce something that could be considered meaningful or, at the very least, sincerely affecting. But, in some cases, an artist’s strength isn’t a single quality; it’s the ability to condense several different qualities into a tasteful, cohesive full.
My Brightest Diamond has more than a few notable qualities they could have emphasized -- gorgeous string embellishments, stirring lyrical imagery, a tangibly moody atmosphere, Shara Worden’s confident and multi-faceted vocals -- but instead of wholly embracing any one of these, they take elements of each and construct a song that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. “Dragonfly” is My Brightest Diamond at its most unified, beginning with the tale of a dragonfly caught in a spider’s web and adding brooding orchestration, telling vocal expression, and subtle guitar work as its story unfolds. The result is an emotional journey of sorts, taking willing listeners by the hand as it explores the sadness of the dragonfly’s supposed death, its longing chorus of “Come and fly away with me tonight,” the narrator’s fear of darkness and the shadows of her past.
It’s hardly a song that requires the listener to meet it halfway; all that’s really required is that first step of faith, and Worden’s dramatic flair takes care of the rest. And while it may be a Disney-direct-to-video approach, the seamless songwriting and carefully handled subject matter put the Danny Troobs of the world in their place. The only thing “Dragonfly” really lacks is mystery, and only because it’s so powerfully convincing -- it’s impossible to imagine its pieces assembled in any other way. Which is exactly where My Brightest Diamond’s true strength lies: in the shaping and building of a song, rather than the mastery of its parts.
My Brightest Diamond has more than a few notable qualities they could have emphasized -- gorgeous string embellishments, stirring lyrical imagery, a tangibly moody atmosphere, Shara Worden’s confident and multi-faceted vocals -- but instead of wholly embracing any one of these, they take elements of each and construct a song that’s far greater than the sum of its parts. “Dragonfly” is My Brightest Diamond at its most unified, beginning with the tale of a dragonfly caught in a spider’s web and adding brooding orchestration, telling vocal expression, and subtle guitar work as its story unfolds. The result is an emotional journey of sorts, taking willing listeners by the hand as it explores the sadness of the dragonfly’s supposed death, its longing chorus of “Come and fly away with me tonight,” the narrator’s fear of darkness and the shadows of her past.
It’s hardly a song that requires the listener to meet it halfway; all that’s really required is that first step of faith, and Worden’s dramatic flair takes care of the rest. And while it may be a Disney-direct-to-video approach, the seamless songwriting and carefully handled subject matter put the Danny Troobs of the world in their place. The only thing “Dragonfly” really lacks is mystery, and only because it’s so powerfully convincing -- it’s impossible to imagine its pieces assembled in any other way. Which is exactly where My Brightest Diamond’s true strength lies: in the shaping and building of a song, rather than the mastery of its parts.