Post Description

Acoustic, folk, singer-songwriter.

Take Courage marks the first time Danks has released original music under his own name in a decade. I remember seeing that slogan everywhere when I was younger. In particular, it was a familiar sight whenever I passed the Amersham Arms as a student at Goldsmiths in southeast London and later when I was as a local councillor for the area. Artist, Henry Fothergill has come up with some suitably irreverent pub-themed cover art which gives me quite a nostalgic glow. And it’s only when I research a little further that I release the pub on the cover is actually the Amersham Arms and did, indeed, inspire the title track, Danks, like myself, being a former resident of the area.

 So what of the music? “Old-fashioned, melodramatic and beautifully recorded,” Danks promises in the accompanying blurb, which turns out to be a perfectly apt description.

The four songs range from the highly personal (‘Take Courage’ where Danks draws lessons from passing that familiar pub sign and ‘Bluster’ reflecting on that return to everyday life after the untrammelled joy of a summer festival that many of us have experienced); to classic story songs (‘Mr McDonald’ about undercover policing and fraudulent identities); to the charmingly eccentric (‘Station Jim’ a tribute to the Victorian-era stuffed dog on display at Slough railway station).

As promised, the EP is exquisitely produced, with collaborating musicians (Danny Pedler, Lukas Drinkwater, Beth Noble and Ben Davies providing additional depth to Danks’ warm, sincere vocals, charming storytelling and appealing melodies. Namechecking Scott Walker, The Divine Comedy, Villagers and Nick Drake as influences, that’s not merely hyperbole but points to the singular but eclectic display of talent that’s on offer here.

Tracks:
01 - Bluster
02 - Mr McDonald
03 - Station Jim
04 - Take Courage

Staat er compleet op, 10% pars mee gepost. Met zeer veel dank aan de originele poster. Laat af en toe eens weten wat je van het album vindt. Altijd leuk, de mening van anderen. Oh ja, MP3 doe ik niet aan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUUvFaYnYf4