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Danny Vesper And The Grandchildren
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5 songs
Self-Released
Release: Demo Recording
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Rated:
Review by:
Derik Hendrickson
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"Full Potential." A phrase generally excluded from an artist's
vocabulary. Perhaps a subconscious decision to ignore such
a lofty goal, it tends to be something that is rarely
synonymous with artists, and even more so with
musicians.
Danny Vesper may have not hit his full potential as an artist
and songwriter yet, but one listen to this 5 song demo, and
you'd never guess otherwise. In fact, in this case, the
listener almost hopes he never finds his full potential
because the process of where he's at presently is
fascinating.
Currently backed by The Grandchildren, Danny Vesper has
his mind on his muse, and that is impossible to
forget.
Utah native Vesper has just returned home after stints in
Seattle and Brooklyn. I ran into Danny the other day and he
handed me a DVD case with a CDR inside. On it, Five
Songs written in black Sharpie ink. As he handed it
off, he said, "Here's some of the stuff we've been working
on." With no plan to release this demo or many songs that
are on it, a review is the least that can be done.
If Rocky Voltolato had the cracking falsetto of Black Francis,
he would be close to sounding like Danny Vesper. If Frank
Black wrote songs that were inspired by Nick Drake as much
as they were inspired by Cursive's Tim Kasher, it would be
close to what Danny Vesper is doing. On this demo, the
songs are stripped down and simplified to the point of pure
emotion, and they'll be hard to take out of the CD player
soon, if ever. It's as if the band is sitting in your front room
- performing a show for you alone.
Almost a mix of The Red House Painters and Aztec Camera,
"Aim to Please" is a perfect nostalgic wish. Danny sings
wistful backups for himself, declaring, "All that I want / Is all
that I'm aiming to do / I'm pleased to aim / and I'm aiming
to please you."
The Fender Rhodes adds to the laid-back presentation of the
third track, "Cat Got Your Tongue." Vesper has a way of
presentation that is so lackadaisical and nonchalant that
anyone nearby will keep quiet until spoken to. It's Danny's
magic touch. One can't help but listen to what is being said,
given that he's so understated and polite.
Just when you think you've been hit with the strongest song,
the slow and introspective "The River," even more surprises
emerge. The disc concludes with Danny strumming
minimalistic acoustic guitar - repeating the words "Stop it /
It's easy to do" so many times that it's natural to believe
him, even though it's the furthest thing from anyone's mind.
Just as the song builds into it's peak, it fades away and is
gone - begging you to hit the repeat button and listen to all
five tracks for hours at a time.
Danny Vesper and the Grandchildren is essential listening for
fans of The Good Life, The Red House Painters, Aztec
Camera and Rocky Voltolato. Yet somehow, they sound like
none of these bands. Instead, they sound better. If Danny
Vesper and the Grandchildren aren't hitting their full
potential now, we should all be getting prepared for the
moment that they do, as there will be absolutely nothing we
can do to stop them. |
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