Music: Pause by Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo

Music posts aren't something I do often but some songs are so amazing you must say something about them.  Every once in a while a television series comes along that has a theme song you can't get out of your head or stop listening to.  And I'm not talking about Gilligan's Island, here.  I'm talking about shows that use actual songs for the theme such as Republic of Doyle (Oh Yeah by Great Big Sea), The Good Guys (Slink:  A Hymn by Locksley), Hung (I'll Be Your Man by the Black Keys) and the Australian one-season drama Cops L.A.C. (Howlin' For You by the Black Keys).

The new British drama, The Shadow Line is another of those shows.  It uses Pause by Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo.  An amazing way to start an amazing show.

In Pause, the vocals are delicate yet powerful.  Emily Barker's harmonies are stunning.  Her voice is soft yet carries with it an intensity that pulls you into the music.  There aren't many lyrics to this short song but there doesn't need to be as so much is said in just a few lines.  Pause isn't drowning in studio tricks and gimmickry.  It's simple, straightforward...and perfect.

As with most shows that use actual songs as their theme music, the mix of Pause that opens The Shadow Line is a bit different than what you'll hear on Almanac.  It doesn't matter which version you hear, however, the beauty, sadness, vulnerability and depth is there.

Emily Barker is a singer/songwriter originally from Bridgetown, Western Australia.  Ms. Barker and her band, The Red Clay Halo released their third album, Almanac in February 2011 drawing immediate support from BBC Radio.  The band self-finances all of their albums releasing them on Barker's imprint, Everyone Sang.  Fans in the UK can see Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo live on ten dates beginning 11th June, 2011 and running through 19th August, 2011.  (Information about the dates are available by clicking "Gigs" at the top of the Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo bandcamp.com page.)

I haven't been able to stop listening to Pause since first hearing it.  If it hadn't been for The Shadow Line I probably never would have been introduced to Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo.  And that would have been a real crime.

If you would like to hear Pause in its entirety, the song can be streamed from Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo bandcamp.com page.  You can also purchase the song or the entire Almanac album from their page (something I highly recommend!).