Band Review: The Longest Night

Band Name: The Longest Night

Members: Robbi Selin - Vocals & Guitars

Will O' Donnell - Guitar

Jared Greaves - Bass

Jason Rampersad - Drum

Label: Unsigned

Location: Barbados

At the risk of being labeled an ignorant fool, I would like to state that, apart from Rihanna, I have never heard a Barbadian artist. So The Longest Night came as a bit of a pleasant surprise. In terms of existence, TNL is what I would call a "fledgling" band; not even a year old. But the members have been active on the music scene separately. Vocalist Robbi Sélin (just 17, btw) has been in the process of carving a niche for himself for quite some time. He voice has that mellow, breezy quality that isn't really a norm among rock singers. Will O'Donnell and Jason Rampersad are active members of the band Highway VII, another Rock/Alternative band from Barbados. 

As of now, they only have two songs out. "Keep With Me" is a soulful ballad with powerful guitars and drums that don't overwhelm the vocals. It starts out with a guitar intro that really sets the mood for the song. The chorus is something that could have gone terribly wrong had it not been so expertly orchestrated. Kudos for that! The lyrics are nothing extremely poetic, but good nonetheless. I found that the song stayed with me for a long time after I first listened to it. The guitars have an almost classical quality, like they would fit perfectly in an orchestra.

"Fall" is a slow song as well, but again it has the dark overtones of a complex mind. Similar sound to that of Keep With Me. But the guitars somehow have more of a role to play here. Though I would love for them to incorporate more variety in terms of the kind of songs they do in the future. 

Verdict: Overall, a promising addition to the alternative scene.

Rating: 3.5/5