I will never forget the silence that befell the entire auditorium as James Bond took Eve’s bullet to the chest and plummeted into the river beneath him in Skyfall. We were all stunned; Bond films have followed the same formula of him defeating the ‘bad guy’, dazzling a pretty woman, and defeating more ‘bad guys’ for decades. To witness Bond in a position of defeat (and possibly even dead) before the opening title sequence was astounding. We watched the beloved action star’s body get carried by the river currents and fall into the delta for one final submersion. As his body hits the water, the film transitions to a heavyhearted opening title sequence, and it made me realize how music can enhance the cinematic experience tenfold. My first listen of Melting Dreams' "Ocean" transported me back to that auditorium; the single deserves to be a film's opening title sequence song.
“Ocean” is a melancholic Dream-Pop single that loans itself as an ode to the fragility of the ego. The song opens with a combined arrangement of piano and flute notes to establish an atmosphere of ambivalence. As if all is not what it appears to be – something is being hidden. Listeners are then met with the introduction of the rest of the stringed instruments alongside the first verse, but the violin is a bit sharper than the other instruments to emphasize indecision. This is the fragile ego's commencement as it bears the common trait of indecision. When you have an unstable perception of yourself you lack the confidence to make decisions. Which makes a place like the ocean all the more appealing to those who lack self-esteem because “[a]ll secrets have a place in the ocean”. The ocean has an astounding depth with the potential to produce incredible waves – waves that those with a fragile ego consistently find themselves subjected to because their self-worth relies on external validation from both people and circumstantial situations. As the song progresses, the drum slowly increases in vibrato to highlight the growing insecurities that are feeding the fragile ego. As these insecurities ferment, a person with low self-esteem will descend further into the ocean or even let it “swallow” them whole as opposed to confronting and repairing their self-esteem. Listeners are then met with a hauntingly beautiful ensemble of all the instruments where we hear each instrument get its turn leading the melody. Symbolizing how a fragile ego can consume the mind to the point of no return from; all that’s left are the insecurities that were created to suppurate.
The Dream-Pop band, Melting Dreams, are the combined talents of Inês Rebelo (vocals and vocal productions) and Asaf Rahamim (music production and songwriting). Their music is heavily influenced by gothic culture and high-concept cinema; all of which can be heard and seen in music videos through the band’s utilization of animation that features rich elements of film noir and folk tales. While miles apart with Rebelo residing in Lisbon but recording in Aberdeenshire, and Rahamim producing sketches in Tel Aviv and eventually moving to Toronto where the finalization of their songs occurred, the two have been able to create songs that are destined to be on the silver screen. Their singles have also managed to showcase the gifts of others outside of themselves, too. “Ocean” entails the collaborative efforts of the two alongside Artur Lenivenko (piano and synths), Sami Turunen (guitar), Daniel González (cello), Lucia La Rezza (violin), Stefano Fasce (flute), Lucy Buerckner (bass), Timo Brülls (drums), Xavier ‘Hill’ Collado (mixing and mastering), Kupu Senja (cover art), and Yifat Uziel (musical inspiration and arrangement). If you’ve enjoyed the theatrical experience that is Melting Dreams music like I have, show them some virtual love in the form of streams, likes, and follows.
Written By Giavanna Gradaille
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