Record #113: Danielson – Tri-Danielson, Vol. 1: Alpha (1998)

If you don’t know who Danielson (slash Danielson Famile slash Danielson Family slash Brother Danielson slash Daniel Smith) is, you might not be interested at all in his music, which sounds something like a gypsy family band fronted by a helium voiced Gospel camp preacher. Once, while listening to the Omega disc of this double project on my iPod, I took an ear out and put it in a friend’s ear without any warning about what he might here. His face turned from curiosity to displeasure as he said, “why would you do that to me?”

But there’s something about Daniel Smith & Fam’s wild mix of folk, indie rock, and the occasional occasional prog and his simple, oft goofy, self-awarely naive, Bible believing lyrics that appeals to me. And maybe its because his simple message of God first, then family, then others is something very near and dear to me. And maybe its because Sufjan Stevens (Daniel Smith’s best friend, I suspect) doesn’t fully satisfy my need for quirky Gospel indie. Specific highlights: the naive-spoken word dialogue of Pottymouth, the indietronic anti-racism PSA Flesh, hard rocker Lord Did You Hear Harrison?