THE PERFECT POP SONG !!!
It's a long long time since it was last heard ( God only knows
, The Beach Boys, 1966 ). Fortunately, there is still people fool enough
to act as if nothing ever happened and keep on searching for their own
philosopher's stone. Amsterdam
based DARYLL-ANN are of this precious kind, and never before
had they got closer to their aim than on this 3rd album, by far their
most coherent and best to date.
Drawing their sap from 60's/
early 70's roots (The Beatles - More Macca and Harrison than Lennon
- and The Beach Boys of course, but also Simon & Garfunkel, Gene
Clark, Badfinger, Stealers Wheel...), they succeed in building up a
peculiar sound, lovingly reminiscent of the past yet utterly personal
and contemporary. What is it due to? Perhaps it's the high-perched,
alluring voice of singer Jelle Paulusma, or the brilliant lace-knitting
guitar work displayed by Anne Soldaat, unless it is the band's ability
not to sound overly nostalgic and to maintain an equal distance between
reverence and irony. Also, their welcome unpolished approach makes them
steer clear from the bland prettiness often inherent in this style of
music.
Ultimately, though, nothing
here is more important than THE SONGS. What songs !! Beautifully crafted
and instantly hummable melodies that come and coil up to your cerebral
convolutions as if a special niche had been booked for them. If All
by myself is DARYLL-ANN's own Stuck in the middle with you,
and Freedom's a gift their Everybody's talking, what can
you say of a gem like Ask anyone? A Beatles-style melody ( "Something
inside that was always denied..." ) that winds and waves on an elastic
bassline à la Angelo Badalamenti while a magic flute adds its gentle
trills in the background. Splendid, but not more or less than the 1'52"
of The miracle legion (Miracles like this are NOT legion, for
sure) or any other track on this outstanding record.
These songs will keep you
warm when it's cold outside, and they'll be like a breath of fresh air
when the sun gets too hot. Get ready to welcome them as close companions
for a very long time.
EXCELSIOR RECORDINGS:
mailto:jeroen@excelsior.recordings.com
Homepage: http://www.excelsior-recordings.com/
www.daryll-ann.nl