Daryll-Ann |
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In one of my first visits to the Netherlands and driving back from Schiphol late at night, I was fumbling through unknown radio channels when I came across ‘Serenades for the Lonely’ playing on 3voor12 and it stuck - not only making me stop turning the dial, but also becoming embedded in my head. So I downloaded some tracks, bought some albums, and from that one moment, Daryll-Ann became one of the first Dutch bands that I really connected with.
It isn’t even really so long ago since their last album, Trailer Tales. Released back in 2002, though, it feels like a world way, and in a country of new music to explore, Don’t Stop has snuck up on me from nowhere, leaving with me no expectations as such, but quite a few surprises to be had.
Perhaps if Don’t Stop was to be more predictable then I’d expect more quirky pop songs like ‘Fame’ which appears halfway through the album. It feels like the Daryll-Ann of old, and it’s nice and comfortable, but the fact that it’s taken six tracks to rediscover the old familiarity demonstrates just how much the band have been playing with ideas, and the proof of the pudding is right there in opener ‘Freeway’. A dark acoustic number with a country vibe, it seems suddenly Daryll-Ann have embraced some of the spirit of Johnny Cash and even a little Tom Waits. A pop hit this is not, so perhaps a difficult decision to place it as track one, but the band clearly has faith that this song can win the fans over, and I think their good faith is rewarded because it’s a song that sinks in and makes more and more sense after repeated listens.
‘When War Is on’ reintroduces a looser pop vibe next to help brighten up the mood, although the lyrics do sit strangely because they could be interpreted as either political or throwaway, which as a combination seems like a bad mix. However, all is forgiven for the swift progression to ‘We Love Danger’ and later on ‘The Movin’ Men’, which randomly switch to a classic pop/rock vibe and come out as part Supertramp and part Cheap Trick. Admittedly this could scare off some, but not me, and they’re both stuffed full of infectious melodies and multi-layered harmonies.
‘Strange’ comes across as a grand ’60s pop song, which in one hand sounds very classic or even cheesy in places, but with a different production angle and a much increased nasal factor in the vocal, it could just as easily be a Mercury Rev song. Then the very pretty sounding ‘You and Me Darling’ is even reminiscent of Dean Friedman, which again, depending on perspective could be taken as good or bad, but I’ll side with the positive.
Daryll-Ann have always thrown up a lot of influences in their albums, though, so why should this one be any different? They certainly haven’t rehashed their old songs. Don’t Stop is a diverse collection of styles, and the range of instrumentation used adds continual variation as it progresses. It’s difficult to compare it to Trailer Tales or Happy Traum, but it is a good album. There are a few clear highlights but even the songs which start out as weaker continue to sound better every time you listen, so it seems capable of unearthing more treasures the more you explore.
Steven McCarron
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