DAN WALTON - ‘MUSEUM’ (2016)
After bursting onto the scene as one half of the mid-2015 electronic/rock fusion fuelled Cambio Music project, it seemed the Cheltenham music scene had been injected with some well-needed excitement. A three-track EP showcased the songwriting talents of Dan Walton and seemingly promised a shake up of a scene filled to the brim with alternative rock, punk and folk. However no sooner that it began, the whole thing was over; after the EP, a follow-up track and a single gig, the duo sadly parted ways, leaving those that had taken notice with more questions than answers.
Now, nearly a year later, Dan Walton has returned with his debut solo EP ‘Museum’, teaming with only a handful of musicians to create a four-track release that seems to be an attempt to move on from previous releases and transition to more emotive works.
Opener ‘Nobody’s Dancing’ is a fiery introduction to a new chapter in Dan Walton’s career. The energetic albeit forlorn electric guitar that kicks off the song serves as a perfect outline for the themes of isolation and insecurity that continue to play a role in Walton’s writing. The perhaps controversial choice of opting for acoustic interludes, rather than going for the normal head-clattering climax you’d expect, is an interesting one. Despite this the harmonies that come out of it, as well as the answer and call of, ‘It’s with you’, are breathtakingly beautiful.
However after the second of these interludes the climax does indeed come and easily exceeds expectations with a gorgeously dense guitar section, which gives the listener an insight into Walton’s technical skill with the instrument. This could quite easily be this writer’s favourite part of the whole EP.
‘Lighthouse’ opens with some beautiful sax work from Blur piano-man Mike Smith, providing the song with an intro reminiscent of Bowie’s ‘Lazarus’. With this and the muddy effect on Walton’s vocal, the song is given a much darker tone than its previous incarnation that featured Melissa Grace singing the lead; and was actually praised by Damon Albarn. However, I would argue this version is far superior with its more poignant instrumentation and vocal performance.
The backing vocals in the verses seem a little off however, coming across as a little contrived. The percussion in the track also feels a little out of place with its harsh clicky tones, that distract from the delicacy of the rest of the instrumentation. The chorus does however dispel any qualms with the track, with the catchy repeat of, ‘Do you want love?’, promising to remain in your head for a long time to come, and with a melody so pretty it is very welcome to stay.
This is followed by Walton’s darkest song to date, ‘Telephobia’. It begins with an awesome percussion and synth introduction and slowly builds up to reveal a very subdued and subtle song. This writer couldn’t help but be reminded of Nick Cave’s ‘O Children’ throughout the song, but that’s not taking anything away from it at all; the track is amongst some of Walton’s best work. The chorus is fantastic; ‘It’s a duty for someone’s hands/So it may as well be mine’, is Deadpan Dan at his best, whilst the harmony on, ‘Be mine’, is utterly stunning.
The second pre-chorus could have been bigger to make more of an impact on the final chorus, as it does feel a little anti-climatic. Nevertheless the beauty of the chorus, combined with the welcomed return of the previous songs’ saxophone manages to counter this. Adam Hodges’ superb production shines through on this track. It was certainly a smart move for the two to team up here.
If ‘Telephobia’ is Dan Walton’s darkest song, then closer ‘Middletown’ is his most moving. Walton strips back a little and reveals a tender side not often seen in his music. The chorus contains what I would consider the strongest lyrical offering of the whole EP; ‘My greatest fear is that I will slip your mind/Believe me when I say that you are never far from mine’, whilst the instrumentation, featuring guitars that remind this writer of 1940’s double bass trills (an odd reference I know) is lovely.
Whilst there are a couple of hit-and-misses, such as the piano being too quiet, or the percussion perhaps being a little too ‘false’ sounding, as a whole the song works. The half-time verse that follows the first chorus shows a song that goes from strength-to-strength, certainly closing the release on a high note.
Overall, Dan Walton has provided his strongest work to date. These four, very different tracks will push the Midlands-man to the forefront of peoples minds; with a new band and an EP launch (that features, what we’re told, ‘a few surprises’) at the very different venue of Smokey Joe’s Coffee Bar in late April, hopefully the release will get the recognition it deserves. The title of ‘Museum’ could mean a lot of things here, with looking to the past an obvious part of this, but despite this, listening to these four tracks instead only makes the future look like a more exhilarating prospect.
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