It is disturbing to bring to light the darkness behind a song everybody knows well. The7thGatekeeper does just that with You Are My Sunshine by turning a lullaby into something nostalgic into something raw, uncomfortable and brutally honest.
This version, which was recorded in what the artist refers to as the chaos room, does not want to play nice. The recording is purposely coarse-grained, and it has a kind of vulnerability that tends to be polished in a more refined studio recording. The lyrics are confessional, tremulous, not weak but the honesty of a man who has taken all the pretence out of his clothes. It is grunge meets metal narration, where bands such as Korn and Slipknot bleed into the DNA of a song that was not supposed to sound so heavy.
The secret of this reimagining is that it bends into the darkness that is already present in the DNA of the original. Under the familiarity is a story of loss, desperation, and emotional dependency – ideas that The7thGatekeeper is dragging to the light with confidence. The instrumental style combines the country story telling sensibilities with the visceral impact of modern rock and metal to come up with something that is both familiar and entirely alien. The song does not allow standard resolution, instead concluding abruptly instead of working up to some sentimental resolution. It is a conscious decision that supports the whole idea: it is not about being comfortable. It is about being able to face the reality, however, it’s hard to take.
The7thGatekeeper is a South Welsh artist based in Barry, and he is making his mark by re-appropriating popular songs and demonstrating what can happen when you care less about nostalgia and more about telling the truth. Mastered by Romesh Dodangoda, who pointed out to him the two-sidedness of the song, the darkness and the light that everybody carries, this version of You Are My Sunshine does not seek permission to disturb you. It just does. And that is its power, exactly.
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