Icon Daniel Johnston is sort of an anomaly in the popular music world. There are many like him in other mediums, but there are very few comparisons when it comes to music. There are a few factors that make Daniel stand out, a couple of which are evident in the works we examine in this segment. For one, his songwriting is both candid and catchy. It feels natural, but it’s catchy in a way that’s trademark to him. The two other details are what make it difficult for his catalog to break into the mainstream. They are that the production quality is fairly rudimentary, and the performances reasonably sloppy.
To say that those details are all that define these works of interest would be unfair. For starters, Hey Rudy by Roman New Time has a really clever arrangement. The production ideas are spot on. But the production quality is self admittingly home made cassette quality. As they put it, they have “a penchant for lo-fi electronics and off-kilter sampling”. It’s their baby, but you could argue that this kind of genius writing deserves a more polished version. The song is a gem and the vocal performance is excellent. The singer is rough with a semblance of punk that helps him remain true. In that way it recalls The Violent Femmes or Nirvana, with some of the added catchy brilliance of the Shins heard in the writing.
What connects this project to the other song of subject is unclear, as they were both submitted to us by the same email. Both refer to a similar sonic aesthetic in a way that refreshingly altered. That other work is Lucky No. 7 by Home Phone. It stands apart courtesy of the female vocal and drum machine style beat. Thankfully the charm and rare melodic catchiness matches the aforementioned work. For most these might sound like demos, but there’s an integrity to this work that often dies when over polished. The use of reverb, tonality, and choice of instrument are all refreshingly original and calculated. Home Phone cites artists like Broadcast, Beta Band, and R Stevie Moore in their press release. Underground heroes parralel to our beloved Daniel, and evidence that the projects are intentional with their work.
In closing, we simply adore both. We also know that this kind of demo quality might be a non starter for a large portion of the casual listening audience. But if you’re on the hunt for true genius, you can’t deny that these are fantastic.
The links and vids are provided throughout this segment. Please do press play.
The Wild Is Calling 