Peer Validated

‘Martha Ann’, the single from David Karsten Daniel’s new album ‘Fear of Flying’, is two minutes of evidence that everyone should write shorter songs. There is nothing innately wrong with long songs, but in my estimation it is better to leave them hanging, quality over quantity. A song doesn’t always need four identical choruses. Succinct pop songs please.

I have a couple pages outlined in my head about the lyrical content, but that seems a bit contrary to the concept of brilliance in brevity. With hints from the rest of the album (a song entitled ‘Oh, heaven isn’t real’) and some transcribed lyrics, my best guess is that ‘Martha Ann’ is about what happens when you die - nothing or everything, and the difficulty in relating either belief to someone who doesn’t buy it (”from where I stand there is no light that you and your man are walking to”). This is somehow satisfactorily expressed in eight lines.

I’m not sure who made it official, but saxophones are cool again and DKD knows it. Not when used in a tv commercial quality series of ridiculous overtone laden licks as a hammed up solo, because whole notes and shifting harmonies is clearly where it’s at. The aforementioned horns, hints of mellotron flute, strings, and swelling filling organ add depth to what is a fairly simple and straightforward song. The use of melody in the ending guitar solo is perfect and memorable. I sometimes catch myself whistling the solo. It’s not a shredder nor should it be. It’s been said, by my roommate and I’m sure by others, that female vocal harmony is almost always awesome. Yup, basically, and especially here. The astute and possibly headphone wearing listener will also appreciate the more subtle left channel male harmony.

This is the front runner in my mind for single of the year. It delivers on all levels.

David Karsten Daniels - Martha Ann