Danny George Wilson: The Famous Mad Mile
"A soulful songwriter who sings with immense, gentle strength' MOJO
"These superb songs unfurl with passion" THE INDEPENDENT
"The stripped down front porch vibe is just right" UNCUT
"An album with highlights too plentiful to pin down" MAVERICK
"Wistful, elegaic, summery and all round gorgeous" AMERICANA-UK
"In Wilson's hands the 'Painted Pebble' becomes a diamond, which is a pretty good analogy for the whole album" SOUNDSXP.COM
Released 27 June 27 2005
Some time ago, maybe on this very page I told a story about going to see Grand Drive at the soon-to-disappear Garage on Highbury Corner in dear old London town and declaring to an old cohort that they were "the best damn band in Britain." I shouldn't really go in for pitching one band against all the others but I still have a tremendous fondness for the sterling work of the core of the band namely Ed Balch, Julian Wilson and Danny George Wilson. I'm not sure of the middle names of the other two but Danny proudly uses his on this splendid solo LP. Maybe it's to prevent him getting mixed up with the band that brought us "Mary's Prayer".
Though The Famous Mad Mile revolves around Danny's distinctive voice and guitar playing there are some lovely extra touches provided by guest musicians including New York singer songwriter Jess Klein on harmony vocals and some fantastic violin playing by Josh Hillman.
The title track is a classic example of what makes D G Wilson such a fine songwriter. He manages to use a battered old car as the trigger for a delightfully wistful tune about times long gone and he does it without ever sounding remotely cheesy. One of his heroes - Bruce Springsteen - would be justly proud of such an effort.
That's just one of many excellent songs on this record which is beautifully produced with a lightness of touch by Simon Alpin. It sounds like an LP made at leisure with friends in warm, relaxing surroundings. If that's an accurate description of Alpin's front room, then I'm spot-on. Fans of Grand Drive will be delighted to discover that one of the many highlights on the record is a co-composition with Julian Wilson. If I knew his middle name, I'd tell you.
Gideon Coe
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Danny George Wilson The Famous Mad Mile
Fargo
Article written by Ged M
Jul 27, 2005.
There’s an inherent tension in Americana between traditional US themes -broad vistas, haunted landscapes, constant sense of lonely wandering - and the inspirations of the songwriters; in the case of English writers, it’s more likely to be the more insular, static, suburban society of our crowded island. That can lead to little more than pleasant-sounding pastiche. Taking a break from his Sutton-based Americana-outfit Grand Drive, Danny George Wilson avoids that tension by stripping the album down to his emotive voice, backed by guitar, cello, dobro and the sparse patter of drums, and singing intimate, personal songs with universal themes. With the exception of ‘The Bellringer’, which is a little too parochial, this generally works; Wilson makes the title track, describing the road out of Sutton used by boy racers in souped-up Fiestas, into an English cousin of Springsteen’s ‘Racing in the Streets’.
In my notes on these songs, the words ‘simple’ and ‘sparse’ recur frequently. ‘Somewhere Else Instead’ is simple and very melodic, with a romantic theme that hankers back to childhood memories, and has a curiously lingering effect. ‘Old Soul’ has some stunningly pretty vocal harmonies from Jess Klein, while ‘Baby I’m On Your Side’ and ‘Every Cloud’ make clear the album’s overarching mood of optimism. ‘Painted Pebble’ is remarkable for the way it infuses an everyday object with supernatural powers based on the memories it holds. In Wilson’s hands, the pebble becomes a diamond, which is a pretty good analogy for the whole album.
Produced and recorded by Simon Alpin of Willard Grant Conspiracy, Wilson’s songs have a slow-burning elegance and soulfulness about them. Although, in that very English way, they don’t clamour for attention, nonetheless their impact is both subtle and effective.
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UNCUT
Willard Grant Conspiracy
REGARD THE END LOOSE
HHHHH
Glorious fifth from ever-shifting Bostonians reaches down through the years
With the unanimous, critic-drooling clamour afforded 2000's Everything's Fine, WGC seemed to have hoisted themselves onto a rarified plateau from which the only way was down. After the quasi-psychedelia of debut 3 AM Sunday @ Fortune Otto's (1996), the fluid membership collective built around founder members Robert Fisher (vocals) and Paul Austin (guitar) had begun carving a rep as peddlers of doom-laden, redemptive balm for the lost and damaged with 1998's Flying Low and the following year's Mojave. Central to WGC's black pit of campfire-folk sorrow was the exorcising of demons: particularly the self-loathing and emotional dislocation that had driven Fisher to pills and booze from an appallingly tender age. By (the only semi-ironically titled) Everything's Fine, the singer appeared to have reached a place where the abandoned, but ever-tugging, allure of the sauce had been drowned in music's cathartic, healing waters. That record - Lambchop-paralleled in these pages as WGC's Nixon - seemed unassailable. Until now, that is.
The most immediate thing about Regard The End is the sheer, bloodied power of Fisher's voice. Like a colossal centrifugal force, everything else spins around it. In its untethered shift stage centre, it both defines an entire mood and ushers in depths of feeling rendering much of their back catalogue almost anaemic in comparison. On Flying Low, for instance, he was forever vying for space with tough acoustic guitars, drums and studio trickery, so that for every unadorned "Evening Mass" there was the distorted vocal mix of "August List". Even Everything's Fine now appears like Fisher was holding back, its more conventional band format denying the space around the vocal which sharpens Regard The End in such dramatic relief. Compared to Fisher's deep-swamp baritone here, only the former's "Wicked" and "Ballad Of John Parker" tap the same wellspring.
The second point of major departure is Fisher's delving into traditional folk forms, informed as much by Celtic/European folk as the turn-of-the-century rusticity of Greil Marcus's "old, weird America". Partly recorded in Slovenia (where Fisher hooked up with long-term ally and, tellingly perhaps, Europe-championing musical flame-keeper, The Walkabouts' Chris Eckman), Boston and London, Regard The End stitches four traditional songs into seven originals without exposing the seams. This time around, Paul Austin opts for the 'occassional member' card, making way for multi-instrumentalist Simon Alpin (most recently seen pumping keyboards on the Teenage Fanclub tour), who co-produces. With Fisher leading from the front - amongst his peers, only The Hansdome Family's Brett Sparks shares the same page - various guests' contributions, bleeding in and around the narrative, are never less than consummate. Take Dennis Cronin, for example, likened by Fisher to Chet Baker, adding beautiful trumpet blush to "Fare Thee Well", or the doleful Celtic fiddle that both saddens and stirs "The Trials Of Harrison Hayes" and "Rosalee", or Alpin's gorgeous mandolin intro to "Beyond The Shore".
Lyrically, as evinced by the title, death is never far, though this never sounds like a maudlin record. Trad. opener "River In The Pines" turns the tragic demise of two young lovers into an affirmation of unbreakable devotion, whilst "Beyond The Shore" finds Fisher tenderly intoning over softly ebbing strings "I've struggled long with Shame's great load/And shouldered my share of pain/To feel the caress of the long black veil/I've worked, but not in vain". On one level, it's about fleeing the mortal realm, on another it's a hymn to the transfiguring cycle of the human spirit ("I'm bound to go beyond this shore/In Glory I will be placed"). Elsewhere, as on the spare "Ghost Of The Girl In The Well", allowed to breathe over creaky guitar and saw, he's joined by Kristin Hersh to recount the tale of a 14-year-old falling to her death whilst escaping the clutches of an evil landowner. Pure, classic Southern Gothic.
Ultimately, Regard The End is a quest for truth, an attempt to uncover life's harshest lessons however tough, however unpalatable. Often armed only with personal faith as the difference between salvation and the abyss. The stunning "The Trials Of Harrison Hayes", in dissecting human failings, admits: "Misery doesn't come from the earth/Trouble doesn't sprout from the ground/People are born to trouble/Just as sparks fly upwards into the clouds", whilst break-up ballad "Fare Thee Well" (brightened by WGC touring partner Jess Klein's warm, breathy warble) intones "Faith can heal a lot of wounds/Here at night in this rented room/I look to the ceiling and find a reason/To carry on".
Of the traditionals, "Twistifaction" (a simpler, denuded version to the one released on WGC's 2001 collaborative album with Dutch band Telefunk, In The Fishtank) employs softly-caressing violins and the hypnotic pipe of a lonely melodica to enact the tale of a mysterious siren skulking in the deep and muddy waters of a maple swamp. "Day Is Past And Gone" finds Fisher at his most soothing, evoking all the weary contentment of a tired, fulfilled life drawing down the shade in fading light. Conversely, "Another Man Is Gone" updates the old slave song, "Another Man Done Gone" (as covered by Odetta and others), into a rumble of whining slide guitar, shivering strings and dobs of piano. Smouldering for the most part like crackling firewood, Fisher's voice suddenly erupts at 2:22, bellowing one huge, suspended note that slowly dissolves into soft, lonely piano notes to the song's end. It's a nape-tingling, sublime moment, leaving a charged silence that still knocks me backwards after living with this record for weeks.
Of Fisher's originals, closer "The Suffering Song" may come cloaked in apocalyptic doom, but is the most magnificent endpiece imaginable, Fisher coming over like some great gospel hybrid of Paul Robeson's earth-shaking tenor and Johnny Cash's brimstone holler.
All done, Regard The End is the first Willard Grant album to truly immerse yourself in. In ditching most of their traditional band ethic, they've tapped into the finest folk gothic traditions of death, suffering, misery and hardship and fashioned a paradoxically uplifting, transformative record of extraordinary power. If this is the end of the world as we know it, I feel just fine.
ROB HUGHES
KIMCHEE REVIEW
Robert Fisher and Simon Alpin wrote most of the songs here, and they're joined by a cast of more than a dozen. Recorded in Slovenia (really!), this album sounds more like a one-man effort than a collective.
But maybe that's what it is, after all. Fisher has the bulk of the writing credits, and I assume that's him doing most of the singing. The songs themselves are these gorgeously dark rambles, something that brings to mind the sight of a midwestern dust storm a few minutes before impact.
I suppose that might be a bit of an obscure reference. These songs are well-crafted and produced to elicit a decidedly spooky sound. There's a good amount of reverb, and when the fiddle wails I do get a bit of a Dirty Three chill. Works like a charm, too.
Just when I think things can't get more desolate or bleak, there's a killer of a last line. The lyrics follow in the tradition of the blues. This works well, even if the music itself is anything but bluesy. The end result is, strangely, uplifting and affirming. Survival is something of a task, but it does bring great rewards.
R E V I E W S
WHERE THE KILLERS RUN (released September 12 2005) &
POROUS (released May 2 2005)
“Outstanding… sounds like The Birthday Party doing Johnny Cash.”
Uncut Magazine reviewing ‘Porous’.
“A swooning blend of violins, mandolins, country death songs and Nick Cave vocals… This is the sound of revenge. Served icy cold.”
The Independent reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.
“I loved it … great dark stuff. It’s so different … in a category of its own.”
Iain Banks on Mark Riley’s 6 Music show. ‘Porous’ was voted album of the week.
“Dark and wonderful, Viarosa fuse Nick Cave-esque vocals, haunting violins and that special brand of lyricism that grabs you by the hairs on the back of your neck… this is a fabulous album and Viarosa really are doing something quite special.”
Irish World reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.
“Mightily impressive Country Noir… above the benchmark of the rest of the genre… A fantastic insight into a band that are showing all the signs of releasing one of the most intricate and interesting albums of 2005.”
Americana UK reviewing ‘Porous’.
“…a record that is ultimately both uplifting and redemptive. Demanding of its listener but totally satisfying, ‘Where The Killers Run’ is an album to be treasured.”
Penny Black Music - John Clarkson selects ‘Where The Killers Run’ as Editor’s Choice.
“…rich and inspiring songs, inventively and satisfyingly arranged. My album of the year? Very likely. Where The Killers Run has coiled itself into my bloodstream, my via rosa, as nothing has for a while.”
Comes With A Smile - Jane Oriel reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.
“positively spellbinding… Never has isolation been phrased through song so elegantly… evocative to the extreme… their music is brilliant verging on the awesome.”
Funky Mofo - Marty Drury reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.
“This music is haunting; every note almost drips with the thoughts of a dying man tied to music. A man musing over all the sadness and beauty he ever encountered in his life from beginning to end is reflected in its hesitant initial notes until its quiet fade out, from birth to death. It is simply stunning. Where the Killers Run creeps up on you like a skulking ghoul in the night, and then grips hard and will not let go… for fans of any honest, real music from American Music Club to Neil Young. It is not just a diamond in the rough, it’s a fucking diamond mine.”
Alternative Nation - Charlie Parker reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.
“…close to perfection…. Richard Neuberg sounds like a man digging his own grave in the baking desert sun. His tales of bloodshed, betrayal and death suggest the ghost of Johnny Cash rattles on.”
New Noise - Jim Merrett reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.
“…bleak but beautiful masterpieces.. if you have been fortunate enough to hear this record then you will cherish it.”
Tasty Fanzine - Shane Blanchard reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.
“This album is pulsing with lineage… an ethnic, earthy, noble prince of a sound, preferably to be accompanied with a chunk of smoked cheese and washed down with a tankard of stout.”
Candy Factory Lines - Lauren Strain reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.
“…amazingly catchy.. Highly recomended and yes, it is that good.” Rating: 5/5
Blogcritics.org reviewing ‘Where The Killers Run’.
“Imagine if you will the bastard offspring of Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen who had been taught to play by Johnny Cash and had spent his Summer afternoons receiving singing lessons from Jim Morrison fronting a 21st century hybrid of Lindisfarne and The Doors, and you’ll start to get the picture…Yeah, I dig this, and something tells me that these guys could be huge if given half a chance.”
Subba-cultcha reviewing ‘Porous’.
“Together the band play a blend of alternative country that also takes in rock and folk influences to create an original and deeply emotional sound that makes the hairs on your neck stand to attention… Porous is a mini album that’s uncompromising, a brutally honest release that’s not afraid to lay bare all of life’s demons. A stunning and compelling release for everyone that’s ever known heartache and suffering and not been able to articulate themselves, this will do the job for you.”
Rhythm and Booze reviewing ‘Porous’.
“VIAROSA offer a heightened and dramatic version of roots based music, infusing their sound with the vibrancy of rock and a sensibility that is pleasingly still based on this side of the pond… the mini album succeeds admirably in providing a tempting taster of VIAROSA's potential that can range from detailed intimacy to broad epic.”
Whisperin’ and Hollerin’ (8/10) reviewing ‘Porous’.
“…crafted from the same cloth as Nick Cave and the wonderful Walkabouts… sonically dramatic, emotionally open, and musically rich, with elements of folk, country and death knoll blues……when the nights are long and cold, the mood often dictates a lack of modern noises, and this mini album could indeed be an appropriate soundtrack.”
Ireallylovemusic.com reviewing ‘Porous’.
“These are uplifting sounds and messages for life, made sound with no hint of condescension or contempt. This little bitch rocks and if you doubt it, listen to “Whiskeyworld” - it’s the first sighting of the black-hearted country-punk Alice Cooper. Whatever kind of music you like best, you'll still like this a lot.”
Unpeeled Magazine reviewing ‘Porous’.
