Daniel Steer – Daniel Steer
Release Date: Out Now
This is the debut solo album by the
Westcountry creative force that is Daniel Steer and it is, well, it is
something to behold. The self-titled offering opens with ‘Monster’, a song that
rises into existence from beyond the grave through a wall of distortion before
settling into an infectious riff that is somewhere between Queens of the Stone
Age and the Fratellis. And we’re off, Steer is like Depp’s version of Willy
Wonka but dressed in black and driving a train full of damaged souls. By contrast,
‘Pond Skating’ is a more indie-rock number with a vocal style that’s like
Robbie Williams in his early solo days when he was hanging around with Oasis.
The slathered organs and steady
rhythm of ‘The Wire’ lead you into a false sense of security before the chorus erupts
into chest beating triumphalism full of euphoria. ‘Green’ bursts to life with
taught guitars and a more indie-pop vibe with drive that you would expect of
the Killers or Feeder in their pomp which is impressive for a solo artist on
their debut long player. The Maccabees spring to mind on ‘Hero’ when the thumping
kick drum joins in with the brooding guitars and moody vocals while ‘Sweet
Dreams’ is a joyous slice of anthemic indie-pop that goes back to Brandon Flowers
& company for it’s inspiration in terms of the smoothly delivered vocals
and infectious energy.
The sprinkled piano and sparse
percussion of ‘Sleep’ is sombre and a complete change of pace as Steer manages
to fold the feeling of insomnia into a melody which is as uncomfortable as it
is impressive. I’m not mad about the yoof spelling in ‘Modern Luv’ (you’re
better than that, Daniel) but the angular guitars and uplifting melody more
than make up for it so I’ll let it pass. Entering the home straight we are
introduced to ‘Take On The World’, a song that wants to lift you up despite
lyrics like “It’s a long way down to the bottom of an empty grave” – take note,
Gary Barlow, you choad.
The debut album from Daniel Steer
is ten tracks long – the perfect length for an album – and it closes out on the
impossibly beautiful ‘Pictures’. Gentle acoustic guitar, subtle piano notes and
Steer’s softly confessional vocal make for something really refreshing, almost
pallet cleansing after the numerous flavours and textures of the previous nine
tracks. You’ll be hard pushed to find a better debut album this year and if
there are any better indie-rock albums out there then send them my way but in
the meantime you should definitely check this out.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/danielsteermusic/
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