Daniel Lee Kendall – “Daniel Lee Kendall Is Dead”

Daniel Lee Kendall’s debut album, despite being full of deep self reflection, is predominantly a sunny sounding alt-country journey.

Hailing from the Central Coast of NSW, the man has a way with words and has released his articulate ponderings via twelve succinct folk pop songs.

Thematically the record is clearly about the perpetual search to find ‘the one’ and all the inevitable ups and downs that accompany the quest. Over upbeat guitar, Kendall‘s minimalistic yet effective lyricisms make themselves immediately evident on ‘Under A Spell‘.

‘Angelique‘, accompanied by a playful flute, spins the yarn of an arcane lass with “chocolate hair and flaming lips”.

Xylophones, beats and whistles enter the game in ‘Lost In The Moment‘ as an all at sea Kendall confesses “I feel clumsy trying to get your attention”. The outpouring of honesty shows no signs of abating as the album unfolds. The loungey organ and grooving bass of ‘The Deadly Curse‘ ‘pick up the momentum and leads us down into a couple of the album’s standout tracks. ‘The Blame Game‘ and ‘Me Just Plain Old Me‘ take the self analysis and insecurity to it’s acme. With lines such as “everybody seems to be doing better than me”, it is a far from subtle example of using music as a means of catharsis.

There is a lot to like in the unflinching sincerity of Kendall‘s lyrics, and the carefully applied layers that accompany his songwriting make for a professional well rounded record. Intersestingly enough for an often poignant album, the feeling is warm and would make a nice soundtrack to accompany a beer or two on a summer’s afternoon. Possibly it may have benefitted from an occasional topic change to spice things up but his naturally poetic nature does enough to keep the listener involved from start to finish.

Author
Recent Posts

Gavin Stocker

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Outside of Across The Ocean Gavin Stocker writes, records and performs music under the moniker of P Truck.

He can also be found clinging to his youth on a skateboard or wandering aimlessly through the bush.