Hearing that Tennessee Twin were going to release a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's classic - "The Sound Of Silence" did raise something of an eyebrow at #TEAMw21 Towers. It is a song that has always been there since its release in its definitive version, so why would you want to touch something like that?
Well as it turns out there is actually a good reason, raising awareness for suicide prevention with all profits going to Papyrus UK who work in this particular field. In choosing "Sound Of Silence", Tennessee Twin have also latched on to the fact that although we have heard the record for well over 50 years have we ever really listened to it? We all know it starts "Hello darkness My old friend" but how many of us have actually thought about what the song is actually about?
Paul Simon attributed the first verse to writing songs in his bathroom, where he would play in the dark with the water running as he found it soothing, however looking at this verse in the cold light of day and within the context of the cause being supported, it easily takes on new meanings.
"Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence"
Tennessee Twin's version is a fairly faithful rendition, wisely staying clear of doing a facsimile version and doing one more in keeping with the original acoustic one from Simon & Garfunkel's album "Wednesday Morning 3AM". With some judicious guitar playing, they still manage to retain that sense of a song building in intensity. It is Victoria's voice that slightly edges out Geoff's timbre in the mix, and gives this version almost a religious spiritual feel to it in the opening verse.
Victoria's crisp annunciation really makes the poetry in the lyrics fly off the page, and the words of the third verse, with their sense of alienation, would seem to really tie in with the raison d'etre of making the single.
"And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening "
Each verse musically gets progressively louder, which gives the feel of the version you are no doubt more familiar with, Tennessee Twin only really adding the sweetest of bells to their growing mix of guitars and maybe mandolin.
It all goes to make an enjoyable three minutes and let's face it Christmas is a time for giving - 99p is not a lot to ask for such a worthy cause.
The Sound Of Silence is available to pre-order from today.
It will be released Dec 6th on all major platforms