Undivided Light by Al Buchanan: Review

by Gabe Finch March 8, 2023

March 8, 2023

Undivided Light by Al Buchanan: Review

Following his previous track ‘1998’, British multi-instrumentalist indie singer-songwriter Al Buchanan gives the listeners another taste of his upcoming album with his latest single ‘Undivided Light’. The artist holds the song very near to his heart as the theme of the song revolves around losing his parents and searching for them in the afterlife.

The song’s airy backdrop has an ethereal feel to aptly put forward its theme. Over this ambient tone a tappy bass rhythm plays along with thumpy kick drums and hi hats making way for Al’s dreamy vocals to take the stage. With each passage he introduced a layer of instruments slowly increasing the musical complexity, yet keeping everything tidy. The overall instrumental part has a proggy/post- rock vibe to it. With the addition of vocal effects and overlays, he made the dreamy vocals gradually sound machinelike, and in my opinion that contributed greatly to the dramatic aspect of the song. Another great thing about the song is how ethereal it sounded even during the crescendo. Speaking of which, Al’s upbringing as a drummer just shines throughout the song as he smooth-sailed even through the complex transitions without missing a beat.

The discussion would be incomplete if I don’t bring up the accompanying animated music video that portrays the plight of a child lost looking for his parent in a strange world. The music video just brings the whole song together in its symbolic melancholy.