Colchester based artist Dave Brown serves up a musical treat with his debut EP, ‘Wide Eyed and Frayed Edges’. Self- produced and self-financed, the recording features a selection of original compositions, displaying his talent as a versatile singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
First track and live favourite, ‘Road to a lucid dream’, (or as it’s more commonly known, ‘The Cheerful song’), is a buoyant start. Its catchy rhythmic guitar strumming pattern and shaky eggs gives the song a lease of life and a driving force. The subtle use of electric delay adds some nice flourishes, creating a suitably hazy atmosphere in contrast to the song’s title. Elsewhere, backing singer, James Philpott adds a rawer texture to the vocals, complementing Brown’s softer, warmer sound.
‘Voice of Reason’, an acoustic lament a la Damien Rice, is an ode to self reflection and self realisation. Written in open D tuning, ‘…Reason’ is all speed-harmonics and meticulous finger picking, yet still maintaining a tight structure. The song takes in a diverse range of lyrical influences, with nods to Jeff Buckley (‘these are the thoughts that will not die, this is the last goodbye’) and W. H. Auden (“stop the clocks”). A late acoustic break-down adds a different dimension to the song, a shift in gears to a higher level.
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The third and final track, ‘Untouchable’, sees Brown shift to more familiar territory with an emotive piano ballad. The song showcases his natural abilities as a pianist, with its sweeping cadences and runs, flowing chord changes and embellishes. However, the song’s attempt to paraphrase Bob Dylan songs (“Hey there, Mr Tambourine man”, “Hey little Miss Untouchable”), occasionally feels slightly forced, and spoils the beauty of the melody. Despite this, the chorus shows touches of excellence, a raw honesty as he confesses ‘there is nothing up my sleeve’.
‘Wide Eyed and Frayed Edges’ is a good, solid start from a songwriter with a fine ear for a tune and with much to promise. For anyone interested in catching him live, Dave Brown is scheduled to play the Ipswich Pulse festival in May, and plans to release his debut album before the end of 2005.
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