Dan Black Un (Polydor)
4/5
By: Christiana Spens
Paris-based Londoner Dan Black has already been the object of a lot of hype, emanating from Zane Lowe to Perez Hilton to Justin Timberlake, and been very well received at Glastonbury and Secret Garden Party, among other festivals, this summer. His debut album, Un, sparkles with understated, soulful and relaxed pop. Somewhere between the aforementioned Timberlake and Moby, I may even enjoy Dan Black a little more than either – it skips over the highly charged and neurotic sounds that are du jour in most other pop acts. That’s not to say it’s boring in any way – Dan Black simply manages to be enjoyable and upbeat without being irritating or vapid – there is more to his music than mere hedonism set to song.
‘Ecstasy’ in particular channels melancholic pathos and the subtle desire for an ecstasy that floats just beyond reach. It seems to describe the gap between perfect intentions and impossible realities - those fleeting moments of happiness one keeps reaching for no matter how ephemeral. Then ‘Alone’ and ‘Yours’ are soulful and sultry and all addictive – flippant intoxications and throwaway infatuation set to hypnotic beats, sung by an unassuming and confident voice.
No song is incongruous to the sound of the album as a whole. It’s relaxing and subtle, and though it doesn’t appear to try to hard – the easy optimism and soulful pathos of Dan Black’s debut is clearly the product of a lot of work and precision and a refreshing vision of what pop should be.
Artists in this article: Dan Black
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Dan Black Un (Polydor)
Rating 2
There just something too knowing, too considered, too... irritating about Dan Black for me. It ticks every box that credible pop music should, and yet seems to forget to have any fun with it. It...Login to post your comment