Search - Danny Cohen :: Dannyland

The Weird and The Wonderful

Rufus Firefly | Pixley, KS | 07/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The most misused word in current journalism is the easy-to-apply, but always used superficially, concept, "deconstruction." The word should apply to the philosophical undertaking of undermining the status quo by freeing the subject from the subject's objective world, by calling into question the past, and by inverting aesthetic models from the inside out. Danny Cohen, in his wondrous and wonderful 2004 work, Dannyworld, does all this and more: with humor, intense lyricism, with various voices, many emanating from the primordial ooze of his playfulness, Cohen has persisted successfully in his creative and revolutionary attack on songwriting laziness, MTV re-productions, and ignorant or apathetic listening to pop songs. A hybrid of various sources-jazz, spoken word, Rodgers and Hart, the Beatles, smoldering New Orleans voices from the grave-Dannyworld is the most interesting album of the year.
By decomstruction I mean this: instead of bemoaning loss of pop song meaning, Cohen revels in the child-like play of surfaces, and in these curious interplays between surfaces. Within each distinct song, as well, Cohen explores whimsically dense studio effects: tape loops; modulated voices, electronic orchestration. Baroque and trippy, pleading and tenuous, these unusual art songs benefit from a series of producers who allow Cohen's vast imagination to negotiate difficult turns of phrase. It does not hurt that the players share Cohen's enthusiasm for the difficult and dense, and are able to seamlessly portray his world of random, miniaturized soundscapes that hearken back to nursery rhymes, cowboys riding the range, and the weird border areas of Chinatown, the Alamo, John Lennon's death, Redd Foxx, dating Catherine Deneuve at the Louvre, and Siberia. A couple of Chico pals, John Lapado and Dave Hurst, handle the bulk of the keys and strings, and on 2 cuts, multi-whiz Ralph Carney produces and adds musical sounds that should be played at simultaneous celebrations of a wedding and funeral.
Expert bassist Mike Howe and Hurst handle the bulk of the production and they smartly allow Cohen's addled vocals to ring clearly, like a warning siren from the Northern Cali coast. The percussive restlessness sounds like a Soft Machine rehearsal; the songs' structures often dip into the land of Tom Waits-closed lately due to boredom-but with a higher sheen of beauty; the vocalizations signal Daniel Johnston, but with greater certitude and variety. If Van Dyke Parks arranged the mid-period of Captain Beefheart and had Limey eccentric Ivor Cutler handle the production, then maybe you get the idea, but, hell, the past ain't important. This is music of the now: we all should move to Dannyworld. It's open 24 hours a day, but just not always consecutively."

Otherworldly Music For People Who Aren't There

Henri Seurat | 06/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Upon hearing the first word of the first song on this CD, I knew this album would be a challenge. When you hear Danny Cohen blurt out "LSD!" on the beginning of the first track, you'll know what I'm talking about. This is something you have to listen to carefully in order to appreciate all the comic oddball nuances which are actually genius in disguise. There are some wonderful insane prose snippets intermixed with just great ingenius prose snippets which really just make you smile, laugh, and make you feel ok for being a drunk loser who never fulfilled his/her expectations in life. All songs are winners here, but the standout in my opinion is "False Spring." There's something about the juxtaposition of the lines, "bunch of crap" and "paisley swirl" which really makes my heart sing.
There's a lot here that can be compared to Tom Waits (who I think produced this album and is a fan). Cohen, although similar in some respects vocally to Waits, possesses a lyrical and musical otherworldliness you don't get in the typical Wait's shadow box of experiences. There's a mystifying dissonance and lack of rhythm which purveys songs like "Realm of Fantasy" that simply compels you to listen closely to try to find the path to where it leads-and makes you search the CD box and liner notes for clues or info about this maddening mystery nut who calls himself Danny Cohen. What a wonderful, wonderful man, whoever he is."