daniel johnston - selections & why me?

the semi-legendary 47 yr old reclusive genius singer songwriter artist who still lives with his parents.

if you haven't seen the documentary entitled The Devil and Daniel Johnston, it should be on your short list.
http://www.sonyclassics.com/devilanddaniel/aboutthefilm.html

there's a lot of recording material to sift thru, but with many diamonds buried in the rough... so i've posted a collection of my favorites along with a live album entitled Why Me? love or hate it.

Andrew Bird Soldiers On

I give you the newest Andrew Bird release, Soldier On, an eight-track EP. If you are familiar with Bird's Fingerlings series, this release will fit right into the same mold. Full of experiments, sketches, things that got crowded off of albums, and remarkable live performances.
Pitchfork Review

Also, the cover artwork is done by the ever-talented Jay Ryan (if you have ever been to my house, you may recognize a few of his pieces). Brilliant in his own right.
The Bird Machine

She and Him Volume One

Now I don't like M. Ward. Why? I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it is the love he get from almost everyone I talk to; maybe it is his pretenious name of M. (there is only one dude who should ever be called M and that is this guy and he had the sense to realize M was a dick way of saying I am better then you); maybe it is because I got into an on-line argument about M Ward being the next Bob Dylan. Mainly I would say it is voice, it is too annoying. It is the point of this whispery smoked addled sound that breaks into this false falsetto at the end and beginning of lines. You can hear him straining to be cool. It is not.

You know I don't know who I hate more that I should love M. Ward, Colin Meloy, Sufan Stevens, or Ben Gibbard.

With that being said, he is a hell of a producer. His collaboration with actress Zooey Deschanel is down right amazing. Going by the moniker of She and Him, the record Volume One is a collection of more She then Him. Zooey writes most of the songs on the album (less a view covers and a collaboration with Max Fischer) and does a majority of the singing. M. Ward's vocal input is thankfully limited, though his voice does not grate on my nerves in his short harmonies with Zooey.

The album in a nut shell is short, beautiful, with a antique feel. This may unfortunately have a limiting effect on the shelf life of the album, but right now it is one of my favs. There isn't a bad song on the album. The single "Why Do Let Me Stay Here," is the standout. Though the Beatles cover works well too.


Well enjoy suckers.