Synth Single Review: “Moving Pictures” by Dress to Impress

by Karl Magi

Dress to Impress’ “Moving Pictures” is imbued with aching, mournful sensations. The song commences as hushed sounds shift and a guitar drifts while tremulous notes float, glinting in the firmament. The percussion continues to tick smoothly as the rippling underpinnings move with caressing softness. Breathy bells ring with pearlescent light, twisting gem-like notes flicker, and wind sweeps through the atmosphere.

Now Dress to Impress’ slightly distorted, whispering voice enters, adding a haunting presence while opalescent notes glitter with moonlight. Hollow percussion is slashed by a saxophone that arcs upward, fervent emotion pouring out as sparkling tones intertwine. The sax lends deep passion and power as the rhythm bursts. I am drawn to

Dress to Impress’ softly hurting voice as he exhales the lyrics with brokenhearted loss, delicate ticking shattered by massive, explosive percussion. Filigreed notes intermingle before the sax howls again, tearing through the music with ardor and intensity, capturing the song’s emotive core before it ends.

In the narrator’s recollection, “this island sleeps alone, its sounds are on, tearing up the halls,” while sharing secrets like “whispers in the air.” As its gears mesh, they answer the call. He speaks of “crystal moons with blood-red rooms” that breathe as they wait for the fall. He concludes with “moving pictures, memories for centuries, a calling,” echoed in the halls.