Vikki Gilmore - “Dashboard Blues”

Montreal-based singer-songwriter Vikki Gilmore returns to the blog with her freshly cut, extraordinarily enchanting folksy delight: “Dashboard Blues.”

The track opens with some otherworldly ambience, swelling and reverberating in the distance to create a divine atmosphere. It could be guitar… It could be synth… Whatever it is, it is remarkable as it enters your ears. A kick drum starts to pulse, building with an overwhelming sense of anticipation as it syncs with the bass, and it is not at all difficult to imagine “Dashboard Blues” opening the live set of some future world tour.

Gilmore’s vocal appears, just as confident as ever, obviously blessed with a voice that has been forged for emotionally-charged lyrics. She sings of the way that decisions can carry our lives in different directions before we eventually land on the proper path, but, quite frankly, she could be singing about anything and we would take in every word as gospel. As we stated in our review of her previous release, Gilmore’s voice is reminiscent of some of our favorite singers, so it is not surprising that her music feels cozy and familiar.

The song’s initial ambience carries throughout the entire track, with moments of delightful vocal harmonies that add a greater weight to the cinematic soundscape. Layers of effected guitar dreamily interweave with the rest of the arrangement and it’s quite apparent that this song was designed for roadtrips, whether returning to your hometown after years of being away, or simply needing a few miles between yourself and the rest of the world.

“Dashboard Blues” is the second single from Gilmore’s debut LP, Mental Backroads, due for release on October 20th.

-HD