Daniel Johnston to Release New Album
Is And Always Was signals a triumphant return for former Yip, Jumper
There’s only a few artists out there who successfully fuse the aesthetics of profound songwriting and brutal, blunt, and lacking of any concern for pop mentality. Daniel Johnston, fortunately, has always been one of those voices; always in his own world, always completely individual, and constantly churning out work that ranges from “spotty to brilliant.” Though, in this reviewer’s mind, the playful boyishness of his work is some of the most honest art out there and is anything but spotty.
While the critically-acclaimed documentary about Daniel Johnston from 2006 (The Devil and Daniel Johnston) would have you think that he’s moderately off his rocker – the final scenes feature Daniel singing with a horrid Texas surf rock band – it seems the Gen X troubador has gotten his act together. Is And Always Was is a new album that is much more polished than his work from the past. Daniel himself says, “Everyone needs to take their demos and go back to the studio.”
Recorded/produced with Jason Falkner (known for his work with Beck, Air, and Paul McCartney), the album is littered with top-notch musicianship provided by Falkner and Joey Waronker (REM, Beck, Smashing Pumpkins). The bipolar singer, however, has written all of the material and, if it follows any sort of pattern in his career, it will be both the most heart-wrenching, personally destructive, and brilliant work to date.
If you're unfamiliar with Daniel, have a look at the trailer for the documentary (linked to above) and this trailer: True Love Will Find You In The End.
Is And Always Was is set to release on October 6th, with tour dates to follow:
09/03/09 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/04/09 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
09/05/09 - Vancouver, BC @ The Venue
09/07/09 - Calgary, AB @ Knox United Church
09/08/09 - Edmonton, AB @ Meyer Horowitz Theatre
10/02/09 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
10/13/09 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/14/09 - New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
10/15/09 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
10/16/09 - Montreal, PQ @ UK Fed
10/17/09 - Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
10/22/09 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
10/23/09 - San Diego, CA @ Caines
10/24/09 - Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
Posted by Mark Steffen on Aug 24, 2009 @ 11:00 am
