"Petrichor (Acoustic)" by Monday Nights
Review
Following in the impressive footsteps of Ivy Ash, Monday Nights have today released an acoustically reimagined version of their most recent single (reviewed last month) & so you can now enjoy "Petrichor (Acoustic)".
As with Ivy's acoustic versions, it's impossible for me to pass judgement on whether the full or stripped back arrangements is objectively "better" nor whether either presents a definitive reading of the core song. To me, by offering us two different readings, we are invited to view "Petrichor" from complementary perspectives and thus appreciate it more deeply.
To be honest, the original recording hinted at the potential for this sort of variant: it's a beautiful song in the first place and its essential qualities are based around those elements common to both versions: the melody, feel and lyrics. In fact, looking back at my original review, I doubt that I should have varied my wording too much had I had this arrangement to mull over first.
Written of course still by Ali Hutton and Jacob Palmer and produced by Ali, this time round we also need to congratulate Hannah Kent for the piano arrangement and Alixe Wilmshurst for the lead guitar arrangement, each of which plays a very significant role in the new take.
What you get is pretty ethereal in sound: to me it certainly evoked crisp, if cold December mornings in the quiet of the English countryside (or possibly a deserted beach with Christmas sun breaking through a sea mist), possibly a little way from the title's source as "a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm dry weather", yet if not exactly a contrast, maybe a seasonal complement to that. Let's see what it says to you…….