ALBUM REVIEW: “Midnight Flowers” by The Dig

May 29. 2012 | By Nick Williams

The Dig
Midnight Flowers
[Buffalo Jump Records]

Brooklyn group The Dig certainly have come a long way since the sixth grade, when they first started playing together. Having wrapped supporting gigs with The Antlers, Portugal. The Man, The Walkmen, and Ben Kweller, they’ve come ready to prove themselves with their sophomore effort Midnight Flowers. With a focused soundscape, these cuts are layered with eerie post-punk riffs, strident bass lines, and meditative melodies.

On opener “Red Rose In The Cold Winter Ground,” lead vocalist David Baldwin sets the tone for this triumphant array of tunes as reflective and vaguely regretful. He slurs “Well the light was burning out / Yeah the light was burning out,” a line that repeats once again on “All Tied Up.” Despite this lyrical foreboding, several of the tracks do instill moments of hopefulness. On up-tempo “Break The Silence,” bassist Emile Mosseri takes lead vocal, offering an anthemic ballad perfect for a night drive through your hometown, nostalgia brimming on every corner. On “I Already Forgot Everything You Said,” back-up vocal coos add a cool atmosphere in the vein of Caveman.

With Midnight Flowers, The Dig show that it’s possible to remain solidly between the worlds of garage, post-punk, and slow, mellow reflection — without having to choose one or the other.

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