Daniel, Fred & Julie – Daniel, Fred & Julie
You Have Changed Records 2009
[tags: acoustic, folk, 2009]
Listen while reading:
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Before I can really start into the New Year, I have to write about Daniel, Fred & Julie first. Together with The Moonband it is one record I wanted to write about in 2009 but did not made it for several reasons. And so it comes that the first posts of 2010 are two posted in the ‘Maybe you missed it’ category. But I think I’m not that late, because the LP version of the album has not seen the light of day yet for it will come out 01-05-10.
Much was said about Daniel, Fred & Julie in the blogosphere and most blogs praised the release as one of the best folk records in 2009 (e.g. Herohill ranked it #2 in his Best Of Canadian LPs list) and it surely is a record that deserves all the praise and the nice words, because it is a honest album carrying the spirit of folk music in every note. The reason for this true sound (and I don’t mean the “Awwww, this is TRUE Black Metal!!!”-true) is the fact that the three of them sat down with their instruments and recorded the tracks as they played them without millions of overdubs, re-recordings or mixing. Everything is just how it is and how it would be if they would play a spontaneous private session for you – and therefore they really have earned all the golden words their debut has gathered.
And still, something is odd about the release and I’m not able to find the right words for it. It’s just a feeling you get as you listen to the record a few times. It seems that the whole thing works very well if you listen to it once, but if you play it in repeat mode, you might switch to another record. The only explanation I can give, is the above mentioned live atmosphere of the whole album. Imagine the situation in real life: Daniel, Fred and Julie play a set of songs for you and you really like the whole set; but would you like to hear the exact same set again after you listened to it once? Or would you prefer to listen to some more but different songs? I think the latter would be the case and so I think the album isn’t one you can listen to over and over. It’s more like a private session you want to enjoy from time to time. And this is the only way the record works for me – but then it works damn well and it’s wonderful every single minute (ok, except for the childs’ voices at the end of Halleluhja, I’m A Bum – but even they underline the live atmosphere, that I admit).
To buy the mp3s of the album you should head over to amazon.com, but for the CD version I advice to use this link. The LP version seems a bit harder to get, because it will only be shipped to selected retail stores (according to what Outside Distribution mailed me) and so I don’t know how to buy it from Canada or the US. But in case you are from Germany, you can order the LP version via jpc.de or you mailorder it directly from an indie music shop like flight13.de (here you have to write an e-mail to them, because they don’t have it in their regular assortment).
isten while reading:
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