Folk musican Davidson
features idea-driven lyrics
Davidson’s latest release,
‘Don Quixote de Suburbia,’
is an album that moves away
from mainstream music
CD review
Aaron Shakra
Pulse Reporter
Ethan Daniel Davidson’s sound
can be described in so many ways
that after a while, it becomes fun to
imagine numerous permutations of
who and what he sounds like. The
tracks from his latest album, “Don
Quixote de Suburbia” run the
gamut. But mostly, he is a folk mu
sician, and he would probably be
comfortable with leaving the de
scription at that.
The songs of “Don Quixote” are
supported by Davidson’s lyrics as
much as the instrumentals. They are
idea-driven, presented in the acces
sible form of mostly short tunes. A
sly awareness saturates what he
writes about. The second track on
the disc is “Kill All Pop Songs,” a
bluesy folk-rock tune that kicks off
with an Allen Ginsberg reference al
luding to the lack of originality in
mainstream music. He sings: “I saw
the best minds of my
generation/Starting off songs with
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stolen quotations.” Irony abounds.
Later, on “Kaldonia,” Davidison
channels brusque, Warren Zevon
like tones, singing “A democratic
moon rages/We’re but the worn rags
of time.” In “Hard Times for Ishmael
and Issac,” his style immediately
harkens back to late Morphine
singer Mark Sandman.
“Gh^ts of Mississippi” contains a
tune reminiscent of Ani DiFranco’s
collaborations with Utah Phillips.
Davidson delivers a story of touring
in the south. Computer loops and
programming spew forth but are
subtle enough to be effective and si
multaneously interesting.
If you haven’t guessed yet, David
son mostly plays guitar, but he’s no
one-trick pony, as he throws down a
mean mandolin, banjo, accordion,
bass and harmonica. This is not to
mention his supporting crew, which
contributes on the steel guitar,
bouzouki, banjos, accordions, or
gans and penny whistles that can be
heard throughout the album. The
list goes on and on.
The use of multiple instruments
isn’t as blatant as it sounds, but it
rounds out this album, distinguish
ing “Don Quixote” from other more
traditional folk albums. An oddball
track, “Joys of the Koyukuk,” is an
example of this approach. It is an
all-instrumental, folk jam that’s giv
en an edge by, of all things, an elec
tric guitar.
Liner notes get extra credit for
providing the details of each instru
ment’s brand and types; this is a
practice that should really be more
commonplace these days.
If you haven’t guessed yet, the
words frequently take a turn for the
political slant. The last track,
“Globalize Your Local,” raises an
interesting question about when —
just when — “We will govern them
in the end?”
Of course, this isn’t the final track.
There’s the obligatory “secret” track,
a sing-along styled around “The
Continuing Ventures of Kid Folk.”
Further setting himself apart
from the mainstream, Davidson
has made his albums available for
download in MP3-format on his
Web site, www.ethandanieldavid
son.com. Oddly enough, all the
links are broken. However, after
the designers fix the links, “This
Machine Kills Fascists,” his previ
ous release in 2001, is a reasonable
place to start downloading. It is a
cover album mixed with Davidson’s
own spoken stories.
Contact the Pulse reporter
at aaronshakra@dailyemerald.com.
School of Music
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Courtesy
Davidson's recently released "Don Quixote de Suburbia" (right) follows his
2001 album, "This Machine Kills Fascists" (left).
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