Daniel Johnston - Is And Always Was - Music Worth Buying 11/22/09 Worth Buying

Artist: Daniel Johnston


Album: Is and Always Was


Worth Buying: Yes

You might be interested in this album if you: Watched the movie the Devil And Daniel Johnston and were intrigued / Like really unpretentious (and good) music.

Tell Me More: When I watched the movie "The Devil and Daniel Johnston" I was intrigued by the film, but the music did little for me. So I am very happy to say that I was pretty much immediately taken with this new album.

If you haven't seen the aforementioned movie, Daniel Johnston is a musician and songwriter who has been diagnosed with The film chronicles his struggles with paranoid phobias of and reunites him with a woman who has been his obsession since his teen years.

His music is cited by many in the film as the work of genius. I liked the film, but was not that taken by the music. This is not the first time that I have not been taken by the work that others refer to as a genius (it wont be the last). Who knows, perhaps I just needed to hear it more and film rarely allows you to hear a song in its entirety.

But before it was even over, I was already enjoying the albums 1st track "Mind Movies" with its Alt folk verse and Neo Psychedelic chorus, I didn't have to finish the song to realize that I dug it, and would keep on digging it after repeated listens. The same held true for the albums 2nd track "Fake Records of Rock n Roll" with its bouncy fun jubilance, and lyrics that mock consumers who buy into whatever music the media tells them is good.

My favorite though is a cool retro track entitled "Without You" with it's 70's style synths and irresistible exuberant pop chorus, this song immediately won me over. The songs lyrics joyfully exclaim that "Without You" I'll be doing fine. What I love about this particular track is the different ways it could be interpreted. He could be singing about leaving a bad relationship as easily as a bad job or even a bad state of mind. It's a very happy song, in fact while there might be some dark themes in some of the songs, if feels like happiness is one of the main themes of the entire album. Listening to this album, feels like Daniel Johnston is saying "I am a lot better now".

TJR 11/22/09

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