It seems the Dutch label Excelsior is taking their shot at the big time, the U.S.A., and their lead blocker is Daryll-Ann. H.T. came out in Europe back in ’99 but here only a few months ago.
DA Live, which is only available on import, came out about a year ago. It is a limited edition (2250 supposedly) collection of live recordings from various locations around the Netherlands. (And of course, a new album, Trailer Tales, came out back in January over in Holland.)
The first record is a nice and smooth drink of rootsy Pop-Rock, finely arranged. The record is full of mid-tempo songs built from a light mix of electric and acoustic guitars, an understated use of organ/keyboards, simple rhythms and prominent, malleable, tightly meshed vocals.
The lead track, Surely Justice, is a catchy, pumping stroll capped by an easy going lead and spot-on backing vocals (the falsettos are key) — not sure about the slow, pseudo-jazzy guitar solo though. They take a Countryish route with twangy lead guitar and mouth harp on the ballad Mirror Mind.
The brief (1’53”), spare The Miracle Legion with its light, jazzy acoustic guitar and ‘60s soundtrack instrumental break is a savory morsel. While Feeling is as close to whooping it up as they get, with its cantering, Country-Rock rhythm and weirdly muffled/distorted vocals. I think you could drop the laser on any spot and find something endearing.
Where the studio album reminds me a good bit of Ron Sexsmith, on the live stuff captured at the Paradiso (tracks 1-8) another Canadian comes to mind, Neil Young — circa the first of half of the ‘70s.
Part of it is that the lead vocals don’t cover such a wide range, are more of a warbly drawl, and part are the thick, distortion-tinted electric guitars that cruise across a pretty straight Rock backing. The radio stuff (tracks 9 –12) retains the more intimate, light feel of H.T., if not more so without the studio efx.
[Released by Excelsior 2002]
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