Here is a wonderful version of the Roy Orbison classic ‘Crying’ from Berlin-based singer-songwriter Laura Carbone and Manchester-born, Berlin-based cult favourites The Underground Youth, who share a love of darker-romantic songs. Craig Dyer of The Underground Youth used to enjoy listening to Orbison’s work alongside his grandmother. During the pandemic, Dyer wanted to record some covers as a tribute to his grandmother and the legendary singer, both of whom had been a source of great inspiration. When Carbone was invited to turn the selected songs into powerful duets, she jumped at the chance. The resulting EP, ‘In Dreams’, showcases the emotional heights and depths both artists can reach. The combination of their voices is incredibly rich; Dyer’s resonant tones are the perfect base from which Carbone’s ethereal vocal can take off and soar. ‘Crying’ is particularly effective. By the song’s climax, the listener has been swept along on emotional currents and, buoyed by a transcendent choir, Carbone and Dyer deliver glorious, grandiose melancholy.
The mood of the song is truly enhanced by the near-stillness and lighting of the atmospheric video, created by Olya Dyer. Craig Dyer says of the video: “It’s a near impossible task to summon the emotion needed to sing lyrics as powerful as these, to depict it on screen in the manner of a video is crossing another bridge entirely. Laura and I avoided touch, avoided eye contact and opted for minimal movement within this beautiful setting. In doing so Olya’s gentle movement of the camera, our facial expressions and the subtle flickering of the candles that surround us, are all that draw attention away from the beauty and power of the song.”
‘In Dreams’ is out now. It’s an affecting piece of work that does justice to the legacy of the great Roy Orbison. That they pull it off so convincingly, shows the talent and ambition of this perfectly-matched pair of singers. Start here with one of Orbison’s best-loved songs. Well worth checking out.
