Tom DiCillo’s muse, if nothing else, is unique. The accomplished filmmaker, director, and screenwriter of films such as Box of Moonlight, Double Whammy, The Real Blonde, and others. He’s been a major creative force behind other important movies over the last quarter century-plus like 1995’s Living in Oblivion starring Steve Buscemi and Catherine Keener. He continues to be a notable force in the filmmaking world.
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It doesn’t conflict with his equally obvious musical talents. The new single “Shot of Blue” has a visceral, physical sound that immediately engages listeners. DiCillo’s arrangement boasts a sinewy Southwestern vibe, awash in reverb and punctuated with understated fuzz guitar fills. It is a relatively unadorned recording; DiCillo’s minimalist instincts serve the song well. It has an airy texture, and the absence of instrumental clutter allows listeners an opportunity to focus on DiCillo’s voice.
He isn’t a typical singer. His delivery may strike some as too affected or theatrical. However, far more are likely to hear a singer who dramatizes his material to an appropriate degree. DiCillo envelops each line with measured emotion, never phrasing anything the same way twice, and plays to his strengths. His voice begets atmospherics in a way few singers readily match. A smattering of evocative backing vocals complements him well.
The lyrics are straightforward yet artful. Their outlook is bleak. It’s a portrait of struggle and strife wearing someone down to the point where they crave even the smallest sign that things can get better. DiCillo loads the song with imagery of natural phenomena. However, his touch as a writer is never overwrought. His economical command of the language further focuses the track rather than allowing it to veer off into self-indulgence.
“Shot of Blue” is heavily stylized, without question. It doesn’t mean that the single values superficiality over substance. DiCillo’s song finishes as an unified artistic statement, everything on the same page, and it exudes confidence from the first note through the last. The moody musical accompaniment fits the equally discontent lyrics, and DiCillo’s singing, while never Pavarotti-esque, inhabits every syllable with an undeniably world-weary presence.
It never overstays its welcome. DiCillo streamlines every passage and line for maximum effect rather than hanging around too long impressed with his own artistry. The song’s music video reflects the talents of its subject. It prioritizes simplicity and emotional connection over gaudiness and reinforces the song’s musical virtues instead of distracting us.
Some listeners may hear echoes of other performers in DiCillo’s material. He’s worked before with renowned songwriter Nick Cave, so perhaps it isn’t any stretch that the presentation for “Shot of Blue” recalls the latter. However, it never falls prey to outright imitation. Tom DiCillo’s “Shot of Blue” is a thoroughly satisfying single that bodes well for the upcoming album.
It will further solidify his reputation as something of a maverick, an outsider who nevertheless produces results. The same creative tunnel vision that helped bring DiCillo’s already seminal documentary about The Doors, When You’re Strange, fuels the imaginative flames of his music. “Shot of Blue” delivers what its narrator longs for – a lively reminder that there’s always reason to believe hope lingers over the next hill.
Mindy McCall
