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"SOME VAN MORRISON SHIT"!


Posted by Hartley On May 5, 2008

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Boy would I love a white soul revival. None of this retro-Daptone stuff. Give me the latest bearded Greenpointers citing their biggest influence as...drumroll...Dexy's Midnight Runners. Yeah. I said it. I said it. If "Graceland" can become hipster manna, than hell why can't "To Rey Lu Rey Lu" (or w'ever the hell it was called).

But no. This post isn't an announcement that BRM is servicing Van Morrison records. But I was listening to the latest from Seattle's golden throated, David Karsten Daniels, titled Fear of Flying (yes, like the infamous feminist manifesto novel of yore) on Fat Cat. It's a gorgeous record. Lyle somewhat more cynically calls it, "yet another beardy guy folk album - if only we would ever get a request for males only with beards who play nylon string guitars, the BRM could make a killing" - and yes, Lyle is somewhat correct. There is a fair amount of Will Oldham-tinged downer folk. But then there's also tracks like "That Knot Unties" and "Martha Ann" - two twangy, joyous blasts, of gospel-inflected white boy soul music, that makes my ache for more more more. More horns. More audible back up vocals. More mid-tempo, truckin' grooves. More sustained Hammond organs. More old-timey violin parts. fuck yeah!

Fat Cat has been putting out some great sounds lately - Mum, Silje Nes, Nina Nastasia, Frightened Rabbit - and happily, this new David Karsten Daniels is another sweet surprise. Just David, if you're listening, next record all saxophones, and sing-alongs and heart ache buddy. It sounds good on you. A white soul revival. Indeed.

Here's "Martha Ann" off Fear of Flying by David Karsten Daniels new on Fat Cat:

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