D.Ni.L – Better?
D.Ni.L – Better? – Album Review
Better? Mentally? Physically? What are we talkin’ about here? Musically, D.Ni.L’s already one of the best there is out there in the scene today, and we’ve recognized that pretty much from the moment we started listening to the man way back in 2018 on the first song we ever heard, called “GLUE.” From there on in, we’ve been huge fans over here as we watched this UK-based artist evolve from our vantage point here in Canada. Albums like Boy.Inside and Do You Know Who I Am? made our annual top ten lists two years in a row back-to-back, while others like V & Still A Sense Of Disease confirmed that the quality of his music never drops. So we have to assume the humble question in his album title has to refer to anything OTHER than music, given the fact that Neil Card, aka D.Ni.L has always been crushing it, 100%.
True to form, “No Friend Of Mine” comes out with his signature hybrid sound, switching seamlessly between his vicious in-your-face yelling and the pure serenity of his more melodic side as Better? snaps into gear. I don’t know who it is that has invaded D.Ni.L’s space, but it sure as hell sounds like he wants him to get the fuck on outta his house as he rages through the verses – and while all that’s well & good, chances are it’s gonna be the moments where he’s singing that make the biggest impact on most listeners. I’m always up for both sides of this man’s split-personality music, because I genuinely think he does both of’em extremely well…but admittedly, if I have my choice between the calm and the storm, I’m probably gonna opt for the calm. Dude’s just got an exceptional singing voice, that’s the reality. He can certainly scream with the best of’em, don’t get me wrong – you listen to the way that “No Friend Of Mine” starts out and you start wondering what it’d be like to do this guy’s laundry, given the fact you can hear he’s screamin’ to the point of being red in the face and pushing his words out at full force. I’ll just be honest with ya and say that if I went as hard as Neil does, I know I’d shit my pants in the process. The spots where he’s singing generally have a bit more room in the music to audibly make an impact on ya…but make no mistake, when D.Ni.L starts yellin’ atcha, you’ve got no choice but to pay full attention.
The title-track on this album becomes an insightful commentary on how others see us versus how we tend to see ourselves, while pointing out how there’s usually a chasm of space in between the two assessments. He’s got such a remarkable gift when it comes to how he wants things to sound and what he chooses to do with his production skills. I love the way he’s phrased his words and framed them within the structure of the staggered melody of “Better?” and you have to acknowledge that the way he explodes into the venomous rage to follow is as nuclear as it gets. Dude just straight-up detonates and launches into a fierce hook that fuels the chorus of this album’s centerpiece…but listen to the way it sounds too, and notice the uniqueness it has in its texture and tone will ya? Many folks out there might even miss it, and I get that…to a lot of ya, screaming sounds like screaming and full-stop – but to the rest of us audiophiles out there, you can really hear the differences he makes with his use of production. So heck ya – I like that kind of attention to detail a lot for sure, even if once again I’d admit that I’m always gonna be more partial to his singing voice, where it doesn’t sound like my speakers are gonna murder me. To be fair, to truly love D.Ni.L’s music, you really gotta dig the hybrid vibe he creates and find a way to reconcile the massive space in between the two extremes of calming serenity and unfettered rage. I’m very much of the mind that one half needs the other, and that it’s the contrast he employs within his sound that makes each part so damn effective…whichever way he chooses to moves, be it the hard stuff or the more gentle melodic side of his music, you notice as a result of his expert use of sound dynamics.
That being said, it does make it tougher, if not outright impossible in many circumstances, to identify what the right cut would be to put out there as a single to lead people into the rest of the record – and I’ll admit to being equally perplexed by that. For myself personally, it’s extremely easy to love what D.Ni.L creates, because my ears hear nothing but the effort, skill, and savage sound I can’t get enough of – but when it comes to the masses out there, I could readily see this guy’s music being hella confusing for many folks out there. If you’re lookin’ for D.Ni.L to ‘get to the chorus’ – he ain’t that dude. He clearly loves to make music that constantly changes, invites complexity, and dares to be different – but the reality is, in this world of ours, creativity tends to come at a cost. Like, of the first three tracks, “Window” is likely the closest he’s come to what people would consider accessible…and let’s be real here, he’s still miles and miles away from that at its most comfortable definitions. But then you have to ask yourself – is something like The Deftones accessible? They have to be on some level, right? They’ve sold millions of records worldwide and they’ve never gotten on iota less popular throughout the years they’ve been rocking for. A track like “Window” ain’t all that far removed from that sound – it’s a distant cousin perhaps, but related all the same. What I personally loved about this cut is that I felt like I was actually less sure about it on my first couple of spins than I was about the opening two tracks, but after touring through this album relentlessly over this past week or so, “Window” supremely grew on me, to the point where I’d now argue it’s probably one of the most incredible cuts on the record. I know I’m not everyone out there, but I love it when a great song can fool me like that at first, then reveal its greatness as I continue to listen. Tracks like “Better?” and “No Friend Of Mine” will punch your face right in to gain your attention & give you no choice but to give it…tracks like “Window” sincerely earn it.
The thing about listening to a hybrid artist, is that you know eventually there’s gonna be something you love to hear in the mix somewhere, and it’s way rarer to find a song that has nothing for you at all, you feel me? I felt like I was really neither here nor there with “New Peace” personally, at least until it finally reached the breakdown, and I found my own reason to come back to it. Don’t get it twisted, “New Peace” is as well-executed and perfectly played as any other D.Ni.L tune is – you’re not gonna hear this man make any discernable mistakes, because he takes his time with his material and ensures all the right pieces are in the right places. The hooks on “New Peace” might grow on me a bit more as I continue to play this album over the year…but I don’t know that any one part of this particular track is gonna appeal to me in the way that the breakdown around the 1:45 does – that’s the moment that speaks to me the loudest as D.Ni.L switches into the most delicate and gentle spot we’ve heard so far.
“You’ve Got It, Right?” could potentially be a single…I feel like the degree of accessibility surfaces a bit more in this tune, and the hooks are extremely effective here. D.Ni.L tries to thwart that a little as this track heads towards the end by making sure he remembers to scream atcha again…but even with that considered, there’s some pretty damn universal stuff goin’ on at the core of “You’ve Got It, Right?” that I’m confident people out there would certainly dig. This track is magnificently well-played, and packed to the brim with conviction, purpose, and passion in every note & tone you’ll hear…you combine something like that with the hooks he’s got threaded into the vocals and music of this song, and there’s no doubt it’s got the potential to reach a few more folks around the globe. The main title is the perfect hook if you ask me…especially as we transition from the verse to the chorus – it’s that first hit of D.Ni.L singing “you know you’ve got it, right?” that carries the bulk of the weight and gets us excited about the energy to follow as he surges into the chorus…I look forward to that moment every time I listen to this tune. Beyond that, I love the melody he’s created inside this song as well. Dude’s just bloody brilliant; I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, D.Ni.L is one of the best artists making music in the scene today. From the meaty rhythm and groove he’s workin with, to the spectacular beauty he threads into this song’s most serene moments, “You’ve Got It, Right?” is an undeniable highlight in his album’s first half.
Once those bass-lines start kickin’ into gear on “Come” as the second half begins though, you realize you’re definitely in-store for another stellar cut for sure. One of the longest tracks at 6:20 in length, that’s another thing about listening to a hybrid artist like D.Ni.L – you never have to worry about things ever being too long really, because each song has so much variation and different elements to it. He’s not just recycling the verse and chorus over & over like that wash, rinse, repeat style so many adhere to – he’s serving up significant levels of sonic diversity each and every time you listen. For real – he’s one of those artists you can listen to and almost always find something new in each song to discover no matter how many times you feel like you’ve listened. That’s commendable shit y’all – and by no means any kind of easy accomplishment. From the lowest of his growling tones, to the highest points of his falsetto, D.Ni.L has an incredible grip on what his vocal range is and knows exactly how to get the best out of himself when it comes time to yell it out or sing aloud for ya. “Come” is one of those tracks where I feel like he’s created a piece of undeniable art…from the inventive intro filled with reversed sounds, to the way he brings in the intensity of the bass-lines to shift the direction of this song after more than a minute in, or uses his guitar as more of an accent instrument to complement the rhythm section…I mean…c’mon y’all – we’ve gotta acknowledge that the creative well of D.Ni.L’s ideas never ever seems to run even slightly dry. Whether he’s using repetition to his advantage, or surging into the next chapter of an epic song like this, he manages to make an impact on ya no matter what he chooses. Exploring the heavy effects of substance use and diving into the hazy vibes that come along with it in his lyricism, “Come” possesses the faded party feeling you always want to last just a little longer than it tends to, but thankfully he’s captured its essence into a six-minute-plus track for you to enjoy on repeat.
“Burden” dives deep into perceived shortcomings and missing the mark we’re looking to hit, revealing the classic themes that D.Ni.L tends to examine from self-doubt, to the natural way life tries to squeeze the life out of us. It’s hard to measure up, and the majority of people out there feel like that in some way, shape, or form. What I thought was the real twist in this particular tale from D.Ni.L’s point of view was that he felt like all this crap he puts himself through isn’t worth sharing with someone else – he doesn’t want to pass that “Burden” onto another. The first thing I’d tell him is that brother, I don’t know how any of us make it through this life WITHOUT passing the “Burden” onto someone else. I look at it like one of those bizarre weight challenges you see on Survivor…sometimes we carry it as best we can on our own, sometimes we have to pass the load over to someone else to carry so we can get a break, and in rare times of strength, we can take on more than we started with to help someone else out too. A “Burden” whether emotional or otherwise, works very much in that same way, from my perspective. So when D.Ni.L sings “I can’t even do this on my own” – fuck man, I feel that! Because there’s no way that he can’t be right about feeling that way, know what I mean? Life is damn near impossible to live without someone else involved to ease the pain or share the excitement with…I honestly don’t know if I could have ever done it on my own if I’m being truthful with ya. So while he’s certain it wouldn’t be the right thing to do to share the “Burden” with someone else, which I fully understand, I’m tellin’ D.Ni.L directly that there really ain’t no other way. This is one of the most thought-provoking cuts on the record, and definitely one of my favorite concepts he’s examined on Better? in terms of his lyricism.
If we’re talkin’ about favorite songs overall though…I think I might have to hand the prize to “I Watch You,” even though I’m not 100% sure D.Ni.L got this completely perfected. I’m just not entirely sure he found the right gear to sing the second minute’s worth of vocals…he’s gritty like sandpaper in this particular part of the song, and bringing something decisively different than the usual rasp we know and find so addictive. This part of “I Watch You” is a bit more abrasive to listen to as a result, and it stands out a little bit because it seems to be the only part of the song that ends up having that sound to it. The rest of it is absolutely spot-on perfection. It’s a clever tune all-around though, make no mistake – and that in itself is a remarkable thing considering so much of “I Watch You” draws specifically on the magic of repetition. For things to sound as new as they do at all times as you listen to this song is what the real achievement is, and beyond that, everything is so damn well put together and interesting to listen to that you can’t help but marvel at its every moment. Call it fascinating, captivating, mesmerizing – it’s all that & more…D.Ni.L has put together something really special and unique here. I’d put this right up there with my favorites from his catalog to-date for sure…I honestly couldn’t take my ears off of this tune. That rasp he uses towards the end of this song with the echo effect is the one I think might have worked better in the earlier part I cited, but believe me when I tell ya, I’ll take what I can get when it comes to this cut. No joke, of all the tracks on Better?, I felt like I could loop “I Watch You” on repeat and never get tired of it. And sure, it’s fairly true that I feel that way about the vast majority of D.Ni.L’s material overall, but I think you’ll get what I mean when you have a listen for yourself…”I Watch You” seems to have its own gravity to it…it’s absolutely gripping from start to finish & I never want it to end.
Obviously that makes the toughest spot in the lineup to fill go to “Sold Down The River,” and I feel like D.Ni.L made the right choice to put this cut in there. It’s a good tune for him, but not necessarily one of his greatest…which is honestly the kind of material you really want to come after something so damn profound. It’s one of those things…there’s no sense in competing with a cut like “I Watch You,” you know what I mean? So you don’t want to simply throw that next track away or drop the quality, which D.Ni.L is careful not to do…but you don’t wanna try to fill that spot with your second best cut either, lest you waste the opportunity for a great song to be heard – make sense? “Sold Down The River” is the kind of track that I feel like D.Ni.L could write all day long if he felt like doing so, whereas “I Watch You” is the kind of song that comes along much more rarely in the course of a career. What I think works well for “Sold Down The River” is that he puts a bit of a Hard-Pop spin on the melody in the verses & chorus of this particular track, which actually makes it a decent candidate to be a single for the level of accessibility it contains. As much as I might like “I Watch You,” it’s not the kind of song anyone would typically associate with being a single…so “Sold Down The River” ends up having the edge in that one specific category. Other than that, it’s as well-played and professionally executed as we know D.Ni.L’s music to be…no reason not to be happy about the results, especially considering its spot in the lineup.
Unleashing yet another different dimension of his screaming style atcha for the finale, “Stagger” kind of brings things back around full circle to finish off this new record by D.Ni.L I’d say. While the lead certainly commands your attention, it’s really the call & answer approach he’s taken that highlights how effective his use of contrast is, and it’s arguably the best parts of this final track too. As a finale…I ain’t hatin’ on it…at some point, every artist and band has to call it and finish things off I reckon. I don’t know that it feels like we’ve reached the end, but if you’ve been enjoying Better? since it started, it should be enough to have you reaching for repeat. D.Ni.L’s done a great job of packing layers of entertainment into this last cut, so that every time he throws up a line at ya, you can hear some kind of response happening in between that and the next line while he catches his breath to spit out his fury once more. Again, it’s that contrast he uses that makes things work…would one half of what he does be as engaging or effective without the other? I don’t know! I don’t think so, but I’ll admit, I don’t know. An album filled with nothing but his tortured screams could definitely be a LOT to take in I’d guess…but on the other hand, a soulful adventure of the man singing the entire time could be pretty damn smooth too. Like I was tellin’ ya from the start, which stayed true right to the end here – to know the music of D.Ni.L is to love both halves of his wild personality, and accept them for what they each provide us with. He continues to innovate his own signature style and sound, and never fails to impress with his material – whether or not this is Better? than his past records, or simply more of him to love, I’ll let you all decide.
Find out more about D.Ni.L from his official page at Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/dnilmusic
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