aaamusic | On 04, Mar 2013

Well damn. I’m a fan of subtlety in most of the music that I listen to (my love of the Manic Street Preachers notwithstanding) but there does come a point when sometimes one feels like whatever they’re listening to could be markedly improved by a significant upward turn of the metaphorical thermostat. Dan Michaelson’s latest single falls directly into that trap, it’s incredibly tasteful, full of space, sparse piano, delicately plucked acoustic guitar and whispered pedal steel, but I must’ve listened to this at least twenty times and I’ve only now got around to remembering any sort of melody from it. It’s not outright bad, it’s pretty pleasant when it’s around, but that’s just it, it’s pretty pleasant and nothing much else. This is a shame as Michaelson has a way with wrapping his cracked baritone around a melancholic melody that’s full of potential, but if the melodies don’t stay in one’s head until the 14^th listen, then it can’t help but feel like a sorely missed opportunity.

★★★★★

Will Howard