Ray Argyle

some will call it dark or melancholic but they are the ones who will have missed the point. sure, a lot of ray argyle's songs are born in dark places but that is, by no means, where they remain. these are songs that speak to the human experience, which is often one of inner turmoil. they are a head-on collision with the difficulties of a harmonious existence. at no point in the three self releases ray has produced (first stabs, blood in the water and center divide) do you get the sense that he is trying to come off as something he is not. this occurs in stark contrast to many contemporary over-stylized, substance-less acts of a similar genre. some will point to ray's influences (Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, David Bowie, Elliott Smith and Radio Head) but we all know that's bull. the only relevance to those kinds of comparisons is that, like those artists, ray argyle is a genuine song writer whose songs are a direct line to the collective unconscious. what lies in such stark contrast to the work put forth by most of ray's contemporaries is the content of the songs themselves. there is a sense of true self disclosure. there is no apathy here. these songs are a testament to the constant struggle to know thyself and if that is 'dark' to a listener then so be it. i tend to think that it is about the most uplifting thing i can think of. - Theodore Hain