Danielson
(Secretly Canadian/Sounds Familyre)
The musical world that Daniel Smith (otherwise known as Bro. Danielson) became a part of in the early '90s really didn't know what to make of the genteel looking young man with the squeaking singing voice, homemade stage outfits and bald professions of his Christian faith. Yet, over the course of a half-dozen albums - most released with his band the Danielson Famile (a quite literal name for this ramshackle sounding pop group that featured Daniel's siblings, his wife and extended family members), Smith amassed a fanbase that straddled the Christian and secular worlds.
This two-disc collection amasses some of Smith's most well-regarded tracks from those albums, tacking on alternate versions of some and live takes of others to keep the fans on board. What comes to fore almost immediately is how fully formed Smith's musical ideas were right from the start. His compositions are arch, almost goofy affairs that combine the childlike attitudes of Beat Happening and Half Japanese with the all-inclusive sing-along attitude of Mitch Miller. In that respect, it is some of the most artfully constructed worship music on the market today.
This compilation also refutes any ideas that Smith and his band were outsider artists along the lines of Wesley Willis or the Cherry Sisters. Rather, the Famile show themselves to be incredible astute musicians, able to follow every twist and turn of Smith's song - just listen to them change moods at least three times throughout the epic "Jersey Loverboy" or pull a 4/4 rhythm apart on tracks like "Good News For The Pus Pickers" and "Idiot Boksen." Smith's lyrics, as well, despite their tendency to moralize, are filled with unusual but astute imagery, as well as a wise sense of humor (case in point, the anti-profanity anthem "Pottymouth").
Considering the glowing critical notices that accompanied Danielson's last effort - the sort of solo album Ships - and the raging success of Smith's protégé Sufjan Stevens, this compilation comes at the perfect time to help introduce new fans to the weird, wonderful world of this one-of-a-kind talent. It's high time you joined the famile, brothers and sisters.
Standout Tracks: "Pottymouth," "Rallying the Dominoes" ROBERT HAM
