Noah Derksen - “Sometimes the Darts Hit the Wall”
Photo by Adam Kelly
Back in March, Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter Noah Derksen released a collection of music entitled Sanctity of Silence, home to nine gloriously vintage-imbued folksy tunes, including one of our favorites: “Love Is Such a Hard Thing.” However, Derksen wasn’t even close to being finished and has just revealed an EP of B-sides that were leftover from the record, entitled Nothing Lasts Forever. And from this EP, we are pleased to bring you the sweet sounds of “Sometimes the Darts Hit the Wall.”
If you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing Derksen sing, you are in for quite the listening experience. Pressing play on “Sometimes the Darts Hit the Wall” immediately unveils his smokey vocal, strewn across a canvas of thick and vibey electric guitar chords. And after hearing only a few heartfelt words come from this man’s tender soul, it is overwhelmingly obvious that he was born to sing his sweet songs to the world.
The production here is profoundly analogue based, which brings all of the rich textures of yesteryear to the surface of the track, while still landing in the modern realm– fans of Ray LaMontagne and Caamp will welcome this tune with open arms. The resulting sound is perfection and we are completely perplexed as to how Derksen decided this was a B-side, especially when it is better than most artists’ A-sides presently on the radio.
As you listen to “Sometimes the Darts Hit the Wall,” you will find that it naturally and brilliantly crescendos upon the arrival of additional elements. The eventual emergence of the rhythm section provides a vintage character that only lends more evidence of the song’s authenticity. The soft spotlight on the piano over the middle eight is done so elegantly that it will become another reason that you return for multiple listens.
We strongly encourage you to give “Sometimes the Darts Hit the Wall” and the rest of the EP a listen, as Derksen is a talent that you will not soon forget.
-HD