July 11, 2005

Dan Melchior "Hello, I'm Dan Melchior, aka 'Singer-Songranter'"

Dan Melchior is an associate of wildman Billy Childish, and it's quite obvious, too; his racious garage-rock style is quite similar, and though he's not nearly as prolific as Childish, he's still quite prolific. Melchior also possesses a keen sense of humor that's not unlike Childish as well. You should automatically prepare to smile when a record starts off with the dead-serious line "I once did mushrooms with Bjork/So you can listen to me when I talk." The eighteen songs on Hello, I'm Dan Melchior, aka 'Singer-Songranter' are just that: garage-rock rants that are both funny and profoundly straight-faced. His music is standard garage-rock--his band is simply him and his wife, Letha--Melchior is a highly literate songwriter, and his lyrics are wordy narratives that are quite captivating. Melchior takes on subjects as varied as growing up in the 1970s ("(The) 1970s"), American consumer culture ("American Strip Mall Rag"), being heartbroken ("She Knows Me Well," "Looking for Sally"), the hypocritical nature of music writers and editors ("Ed-it-or!") and the effect memories of a difficult childhood have on adults ("Dreams Can Be So Painful"). Even though I don't consider myself to be a big fan of Melchior's style, it's easy to recognize a truly talented songwriter, and this singer-songranter is definitely gifted.

--Joseph Kyle

Artist Website: http://www.brokerevue.com
Label Website: http://www.shakeitrecords.com

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