“Dazzle” by Oh Wonder – A Song Review

Contributor: Karen M.

      “Dazzle” by Oh Wonder was released this weekend --  November 1. It’s the third song from this London-based pop duo that was previously known as Wonder Wonder. It turns out another band had the name Wonder Wonder; so drop the first Wonder, replace it with “Oh,” and a new name is born.

     Not much is known about this duo, other than that they will release one song a month while they work on an album. I’m a fan of the band XX, specifically the harmonization of the male/female vocals.  While “Stars” by XX makes the listener wait for the prolonged pairing of the vocals (at 3:40), “Dazzle” begins with the beautiful harmonization of a deep male voice and the purity and lightness of a soaring female voice.

     “Dazzle” is presumably about gambling, but it could easily be about any pursuit where one is pulled forth with a promise of something more dazzling, knowing you may lose yourself in the chase.  Lyrics refer to “give me neon lights”, “I can feel the dice cooling me, see the plastic life, through my blood shot eyes” and consistently thread in the word “money.” Behind the harmonization, one can sporadically hear the ting of coins, and other subtle sounds that you would hear in a casino (check out 1:03.) It’s at 2:05 where I’m captured by the clarity of the female vocalist, which appears shortly after “Dazzle me with gold, you’ll never be what what you’ll want to be with all that money, that money.”  This duo has lured me into their neon lights as I look forward to next month’s release.

     "Dazzle" by Oh Wonder 

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