Tapsearch Com EditorMy ambivalence on Brett Dennen
January 27th 2007 19:50
I usually don't listen to much folk -- Nick Drake is about the only artist I've bought much from -- but one of my roommates was playing a music sampler he got from Paste magazine, and the song "Ain't No Reason" by Brett Dennen really stood out to me. I bought "So Much More" and have been listening to it for a few days straight.
I still think "Ain't No Reason" is the best track on here. The lyrics (with guitar chords here) are incredible, a mix of pessimism and hope that creates a wonderful tension. The becomingly simple guitar work really serves the song.
The thing that puts me off, though, is the weakly-reasoned left-wing worldview. Drug companies are bad, war is bad, all cultures are equal in all ways, blah blah blah. Sometimes politics in music can liven things up (think Kanye West) or even challenge the listener, but here it's just kind of annoying.
I've often wondered why folk musicians are so liberal. They come from and appeal to rural areas, so if anything a right-leaning populism is the best fit. Singing about poverty isn't so odd, but the all-out hippie assault perplexes me.
If you're open to folk, though, I'd definitely recommend So Much More. None of the other tracks best "Ain't No Reason," but they beat the heck out of most modern music.
I still think "Ain't No Reason" is the best track on here. The lyrics (with guitar chords here) are incredible, a mix of pessimism and hope that creates a wonderful tension. The becomingly simple guitar work really serves the song.
The thing that puts me off, though, is the weakly-reasoned left-wing worldview. Drug companies are bad, war is bad, all cultures are equal in all ways, blah blah blah. Sometimes politics in music can liven things up (think Kanye West) or even challenge the listener, but here it's just kind of annoying.
I've often wondered why folk musicians are so liberal. They come from and appeal to rural areas, so if anything a right-leaning populism is the best fit. Singing about poverty isn't so odd, but the all-out hippie assault perplexes me.
If you're open to folk, though, I'd definitely recommend So Much More. None of the other tracks best "Ain't No Reason," but they beat the heck out of most modern music.
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