Music Seen: Music Supervisor Hot Picks * The Dig's "Two Sisters In Love"

June 23rd, 2010 by Dave Hnatiuk

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Artist: The Dig

Song: “Two Sisters in Love” Two Sisters in Love

Why I Luv It: The Dig is not just another rock band from New York City, and this blog is not limited exclusively to New York bands.  But hey, there is a wealth of talent in the NY/NJ metropolitan area, and what’s good is good.

The Dig

The Dig is good.  Real good.  But why? Well to start, bassist Emile Mosseri and singer David Baldwin have been playing music together in one form or another since high school, and their solid chemistry is well displayed in their performance of “Two Sisters in Love” from their new album Electric Toys. By the way, these guys switch back and forth on lead vocals and support each other harmonically from song to song.

This talented and psychedelically aggressive American band is in my opinion making impressive musical strides with both their mind-blowing live performances and their impressive studio work which together will hopefully contribute to the growth of the next generation of rock bands following in the footsteps of modern greats like Muse, Radiohead, Kings of Leon, Spoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Travis, Oasis, Vietnam, The Black Keys, The National, and more.

Scene I Can See it In: This song would be perfect as “source music” emitting from a room-filling stereo system in a cool bar where the focal point is a girl sitting drinking alone with her head in her hands and/or peering off in to space.  She is in deep thought, obviously distraught; eyes welled up with tears, etc. The scene is intercut with imagery of her thoughts and life experiences that have caused her pain in the present moment, but they all add up to something her sister, close girl friend, or lover has done to her.

The Dig's "Electric Toys" was produced by Bryce Goggin at Trout Recording in Brooklyn, and released earlier this month

That said, the song “Two Sisters in Love” is a perfect backdrop for a girl in pain who is fantasizing about how she’d like to deal with the situation upon her.  Might murder be the answer, or is swimming through a self-induced liquor-fueled fantasyland enough to satisfy her thirst?

Seemingly, I’ve committed to a very specific description of the type of scene that this song could be placed in…no doubt.  So what does that mean for the “license-ability” of this song?  Actually, I spoke to The Dig’s manager before writing this entry, and she told me the meaning of the song is quite a mystery and will most likely remain that way.  I like that. I like when it’s up to the listener to interpret and decide what the meaning of a song is.

As a professional music supervisor, I also deeply appreciate when a song can take you to a variety of different places emotionally and intellectually in 3-6 short minutes.  This song does just that.

The lyric, “They were just two sisters in love” could suggest many different things.  “Sister” for example, could be referring to a “soul sister” / good friend or a lover and not a blood sister at all. The fact that this question comes up with no definitive answers being offered by the lyrics actually gives this song more legs in its licensing potential because it doesn’t pigeonhole itself into one scenario or another.

This song could be a perfect backdrop for a variety of storylines centered within the context of female rivalries in friendship, love, intimacy, and family situations. Then begs the question, does one sister actually kill the other?  Or…is it all just a fantasy or a metaphor for some other action or reaction by the female protagonist or supporting character?

Instrumentally, this song is bordering on flawless.  It opens with a hauntingly hypnotic guitar riff reminiscent of “Hang Me Out to Dry” by Cold War Kids.  The song elevates itself by tastefully introducing a rock-n-roll symphony of powerful rhythmic and psychedelic sonic elements such as Jamie Alegre’s super-tight pocket drum groove followed by The Dig’s signature growlingly plucked bass complimented by a snyth swell that seems to drive the emotional tension of this song straight to the bowels of hell.

Lead vocals are sensitively delivered with near perfect pitch and beautiful melody.  It’s arguable that the chorus of this song is the simple “Ooooooooo ooooooooo oooooooo ooooooooo” that’s sung in an ascending major progression kind of way that that brings a sort of peace and calming to a song that lyrically suggests love and murder all at once.  I have to point out that the variety of chops that guitarist/keyboardist Erik Eiser brings to this song is nothing short of genius.

Try picking out the subtle nuances Erik so gently uses to compliment the growling bass attack and synth swell I mentioned earlier.  It’s honestly gorgeous, and sometimes it’s hard to tell what instrument(s) you’re actually hearing.  Is it some sort of sustained effected bass?  Or is it a straight snyth?  Or is it an effected electric guitar?  Or is it all of the above?  Whatever it is, it’s eff’ing good, and I like it all. Go see them live, and you’ll find out who’s playing what for yourself!

In summary, lyrical ambiguity combined with one bad-ass rock-n-roll arrangement, very strong production, and impressive instrumental and vocal performances make the song “Two Sisters in Love” by The Dig a homerun for any of the scenarios described here. Wait a minute! What if one of these scenes never happens to come up? What will we do?  How will this song get placed?  No worries… The Dig’s not lost at all, family!!!

This song would be nothing short of excellent for placement as source music in any scene that occurs in a dim lit / cool / low-key bar, apartment, restaurant, or lounge.

So go get ‘em!!!

They are The Dig. — Dave Hnatiuk

Dave Hnatiuk of Autonatic Entertainment is a Music Supervisor / Sound Designer for MTV On-Air Promotions, NYC. Visit him at Autonatic Entertainment, Music Supervision Central or The Song Hunters. To be considered for a “Music Seen,” submit your track or link to Hnatiuk at submissions@sonicscoop.com.