Back with a vengeance
Allison Andrews | San Diego | 06/26/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I write for an alternative music scene independent publication and we cover local Los Angeles area bands that are not yet signed to major label record companies. And although I've covered Neil Daly's previous releases, there's good chance this will be the last one I get to do. "In Search of Tomorrow" will get Neil signed! It's as simple as that. The intersting thing about his latest, and by far his greatest offering is that one begs the question is mainstream popularity and success even something he aspires to? His pop sensibilities are undeniable, as this album is litered with hook-driven rock melodies and catchy arrangements. But Neil has always been cautious with his lyrics. His poetry intentionally plays just over the heads of your average top 40 radio listener. And after hearing his previous works, it has become obvious that this is one of the most prolific and creative songwriters of the indie nation. In fact, this is one of those rare albums that, like a fine wine, only gets better with time. The deeper you analyze his illiteration and the imagery he creates, the more you see how vulernable and revealing he truly is...Lyrics like "skin as thin as paper cups" demonstrate the artist who wears his heart on his sleeve can be cut like anyone else. But the one recurring theme that grounds and binds the album together can be best summed up in the albums title track. Indeed, each and every song reveal the soul of a man in search of something better... the search for love, the search for forgiveness, the search for a place in world to call home, to feel safe. "In Search of Tomorrow" is at its very core, the story of a man who has grown and changed and become a better person and the hope that tomorrow, or some distant future, the world will take notice. Get this album and seek out your own tomorrow!"
At the same time engaging and challenging....
Frank Logan | Boulder, CO | 06/22/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Neil Daly is an artist both ironic and contradictory. Whether or not he himself recognizes this fact is beside the point. A great many artists are not aware of how much of themselves they reveal in their work. "In Search of Tomorrow", Daly's latest offering, finds him struggling with the dualities of the human
condition, and more specifically the dualities of his own persona. Even its sound and production seem to work in opposition. From the angry betrayal of "How Dare You" to the dreamy yearning of "The Seagull", Daly repeatedly buries himself behind subliminal basslines and giant fuzzy guitar riffs. But in hiding behind a wall of sound he perhaps inadvertently reveals
more than he intends. He is playing hide and seek in the shadows, forcing us to explore his music rather than simply just listen. Not to say that he doesn't have his moments of clarity. For all its psychological complexity, "In Search of Tomorrow" is at its heart a pop album chock full of brilliantly simplistic
hooks and sweet sentimentality.
Songs like the anthemic "Only Love"and the delicately melodious title track present Daly at is most open and direct. Thematically these songs are more abstract than some of the other more personal songs, and therefore perhaps Daly finds it easier to express himself in them. But behind the poignancy runs a deep, dark mean streak. There is a child-like innocence and sense of wonder to much of Daly's music, but also a raw simmering anger. Songs like "How Dare You", and "Blinded by the Lies" are not only riff-heavy rockers, but also seething open
letters of bitter accusation. But instead of a jarringly disparate album of tangled emotions and confusion Daly manages quite deftly to blend these opposing sentiments into a complex, yet cohesive structure. Sometimes angry, sometimes wistful, but always passionate. Sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce, but always honest. "In Search of Tomorrow" is a desperate, raging, hopeful, mournful manifesto. It does more than deliver a solid collection of guitar-driven pop music, it reveals the depth and soul of a man."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1