Many reading this don’t know that every year on September 21st World Alzheimer’s Day takes place. “My grandma was one of the most important people in my life. When I was young she always had my back even when everyone else was against me. She quickly developed dementia a couple of years ago when my grandpa died. She doesn’t recognize anyone anymore. I miss her to pieces,” opens up Evita Brantner for Blue Rhymez Entertainment. When you hear someone speak of a loved one who’s still alive in the past tense, a gut-wrenching pain shoots through your core. Here’s the grim reality: as of September 2nd, 2021, WHO states that over 55 million people across the world are suffering of dementia on a yearly basis. The number is expected to rise to 78 million in 2030 and to 139 million in 2050. It is very probable that you already know someone in this devastating position. This is a war few speak on because well… it’s mostly older people suffering from it and the large majority of healthy, young individuals only care about themselves. No worries. The tides are changing and in the front row are Marco and Evita Brantner. The married couple rolled up their sleeves yet again and dug deep on their newest Folk ballad, You Don’t Remember Anymore, into the practically untranslatable pain that transpires with the loss of a family member to one of the gravest mental illnesses. Ladies and gentlemen, a standing ovation for the Non Talkers.
The natural piano sound plunges into setting the tone of You Don’t Remember Anymore. It is always a shocking yet pleasant realization observing how this beautiful instrument can stand alone and fill the entire room with no supporting effects. The person behind the masterful rendition is Filipe Alturas. The pianist is accompanied by Evita Brantner at 10 seconds in: “So many stories you’ve told/ About places I’d still like to go/ A hundred memories I keep/ From moments I would love to repeat.” Knowing the story behind the lyrics, the melancholy rooted in what once was unconditional support becomes increasingly palpable and impactful.
The singer’s highly variable voice is on full display as an alto this time whereas on other songs one would have classified her range as a mezzo-soprano. And there’s a high moment when your hearing senses are sent into shivers by this ethereal voice: “I wasn’t easy to handle/ But you gave a lot of love/ And in the end, I knew/ You would always have my back.” Wow!!! That raspy on-the-point-of-breaking dynamic is all we ever needed to hear in a song and didn’t even know it. That’s pain, that’s love, that’s life.
“I was left behind by those I’ve trusted the most/ For mistakes made by a young and stubborn soul/ Many times, I was totally out of control/ But you were always there to soften my fall,” grandly reverberates the singer. Can we also take a moment to appreciate just how deep and seriously meaningful the words and statements are? This is what timeless music sounds like. When the weight and substance it carries transcends the present moment. When the same song will reach your soul 5, 10, 20 years from now. And until the very irresponsible world leaders decide to invest in the matter at hand, we’ll be crying our loved ones for decades to come. We bet a pandemic of dementia would solve the issue and we’d all get to enjoy cognitively efficient grandparents, fathers, mothers, sisters, husbands, and wives even in their late ’80s and further.
The drums that are played by Ricardo Pereira are coming forth with the following passage: “Now you don’t remember anymore/ Who’s that person walking through the door/ Your look is still so sweet and kind/ But we don’t know what goes through your mind.” In this instant you will also hear Evita’s husband singing along with her, and that is the voice of Marco Brantner. We gotta give credit to the man for letting this song belong to Evita front and center and only delicately support her lead in the right places. He also attests that You Don’t Remember Anymore is one of his favorite records of the Non Talkers.
“Now you’re not easy to handle/ But we give you all our love/ And in the end , I hope you know/ You will never be alone,” approaches the end of the record. The unease, sadness, and brooding feelings are peaking right about now. This was a genius songwriter move: reflecting back the progression of life through the change of positions. This conclusively demonstrates just how superior is the level of song arrangement and lyrical layout of both Evita and Marco Brantner.
And the coup de grâce of course, was left for last: “I was left behind by those I’ve trusted the most/ For mistakes made by a young and stubborn soul/ Many times, I am totally out of control/ But now I’m afraid you won’t be there anymore/ To soften my fall.” This is why we love both the single You Don’t Remember Anymore and the Non Talkers as a duo. Their whole musical identity and brand personification is built upon graceful topics, organic music, and soulful vocals.
Song Credits: Evita Barbiaux Carvalho (Evita Brantner) – Lead vocal, Lyricist, Producer; André Marco Brantner Carvalho (Marco Brantner) – Back vocalist, Acoustic guitar player, Songwriter, Lyricist, Music Producer; Paulo Jorge Baixinho Ferreira (Paulo Baixinho) – Recording, Mixing, and Mastering engineer, Electric Guitar Player; João Filipe Dias Rangel (João Rangel) – Bass Player; Luis Filipe Soares Alturas (Filipe Alturas) – Piano Player; Ricardo Manuel Carneiro Silva Pereira (Ricardo Pereira) – Drum Player; Mariana Filipa Amorim Antunes (Mariana Antunes) – Cello Player; Melanie Domingues Curto (Melanie Curto) – Violin Player.
Make sure you add You Don’t Remember Anymore to your playlist on YouTube Music HERE, on Apple Music HERE, on Amazon HERE, on Deezer HERE, and on Spotify below:
Written by Mariana Berdianu
Blue Rhymez Entertainment ©2021