Dotan - A Little Light in the Dark (2024) Hi-Res

What makes the biopics about Freddie Mercury, Elton John and Amy Winehouse so fascinating? A large part of the answer lies in the constant tension between the desire for greatness, recognition, love and happiness, and the inevitable reality of pain, loss and vulnerability of the person in question. In that tragedy of being human – precisely because we all have to deal with these paradoxes – we recognize something of ourselves in their struggles and their triumphs. ‘The elusive balance between light and dark’ is what it is also called and, loosely translated, that is the title of Dotan’s new album: A Little Light In The Dark.

Half a year ago we were introduced to the opener of this album: Heavy. According to the tried and tested Dotan recipe consisting of intimate acoustic atmospheres, combined with subtle electronic elements and a crescendo build-up, Heavy tells the story of a relationship that is burdened by pain, miscommunication and emotional distance. ‘But all the waves will never end’ suggests the cyclical nature of the problems, with the swelling instrumentation seeming to symbolise the growth of those problems. Production and execution are typical of Dotan. Beautiful opener.

In the past year, half of the twelve tracks on A Little Light In The Dark have already been released as singles. What was already noticeable on the singles is confirmed by the other six tracks. The timbre is lighter than on the previous album Satellites. This is also the case with The Mess; the first new track we hear. What is also noticeable about this song is that Dotan goes up, really up. Where this song evokes Damien Rice-like atmospheres with views of green Irish landscapes in terms of fine production, the somewhat sharp vocals draw you more towards Bon Iver-oriented rock massifs with impressionistic conifers. In other words, you have to make an effort to let it sink in as a whole. And that effort is then richly rewarded.

Diamonds In My Chest was released in September 2023 and is a song in the folk competition tradition. For some unknown reason, every indie folk album nowadays has to contain at least one song that sounds like a hundred-meter hurdles race. This is usually accompanied by a hyped-up banjo, but we are spared that. Diamonds In My Chest will do well during performances because that much is clear; it really whips things up.

How personal this record is is evident from the lyrics of the song No Kissing On A Sunday. The song is about the moment when Dotan meets the conservative family of his American friend Grant, who had recently announced his relationship with Dotan to them. The modest, calm production makes the expressiveness of this song come into its own. This is also the case with the song Amsterdam, which is vaguely reminiscent of a slightly slowed-down version of April Come She Will by the legendary duo Simon & Garfunkel. Partly due to the tasteful, light-hearted arrangement, this is one of the strongest songs on A Little Light In The Dark.

The album closes with two fine ballads: Without You and Marigold. Both songs feel sincere and velvety soft on the skin. Without all the electronic weight that was (too) abundantly present on the surface on previous albums, A Little Light In The Dark sounds free. As if the music is given the free space to meander. With the vocals, it is slightly different. Because Dotan repeatedly uses ‘vocal layering’, the direct vulnerability of his voice seems to diminish somewhat on the lighter musical sounds. This creates some distance instead of the pure, emotional openness that you could hear with a single, unprocessed vocal. This choice is mainly inspired by musical identity and ensures that the twelve tracks form a unity. Yet it feels as if with fewer vocal layers, (even) more Dotan would become available.

Although the individual lyrics deal with different personal themes, they seem to be about letting go, fighting, overcoming, accepting and (sometimes) starting over. In fact, the same themes as mentioned earlier with the tragedy of being human. For that reason, A Little Light In The Dark sounds like more than a regular studio album. Without probably realizing it, Dotan has essentially created a soundtrack for a yet-to-be-produced biopic about a recent period in his life with these twelve tracks. A period in which talent and success, after years of pressure and expectations — both from outside and from himself — are finally allowed to flourish. The energy that results from this gives Dotan's story and music depth. A Little Light In The Dark is the tangible, attractive result of this. Incidentally, with this album title he has almost revealed the subtitle of his biopic: Dotan, A Little Light In The Dark. Now all that remains is to find the leading actor.