Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Daniel Knox's Self Destructive Self Titled Third Album

Daniel Knox's third album, and first for Chicago based indie label Carrot Top Records, contains a cobbling together of ten songs, all much ado about houses, stores and cars with no drivers. All things as stationary as the album itself, which kind of plods along lifelessly - unless you take an interest in monotonous and painfully redundant things. 

It's a shame, really, because Knox's previous full length efforts - his self released 2007 debut Disaster and its 2011 follow up Evryman For Himself (which thus far marks his finest recorded hour), showed such promise for the evolution of his sound, and in turn, his popular appeal. He could be likened to a male answer to the Regina Spektor camp... but a lot less cutesy, with songs a lot more sinister, and leaps and bounds more appealable to an adult audience who would surely find Knox's wicked lyrical remarks, told from his decidedly bitter disposition,  a more reflective mirror for their own dark and brooding propensities.  

Granted, this self titled effort (originally slated to be entitled Chasescene, and the finale in a trilogy formed by his previous two albums; why that changed, we're not sure) is still brimming with that trademark form, but Knox seems tired here, despondent, and as such, significantly less dangerous.  While the song "Don't Touch Me" has some pep behind it, the track just sounds like a leftover from Evryman or Himself, revisiting the very same curmudgeonly theme that dominated that album, and the interestingly titled, but disappointingly presented "Incident At White Hen" comes off as a cast off as well, but from Disaster.  

The liner notes suggest a number of songs on Daniel Knox's tracklist were culled from previous work with and around photographer John Atwood (whom Knox is known to be quite taken with), and being that the album is self-titled, complete with a cover depicting only a less than alluring painting of Knox's own bust, one has to wonder if this album is more a memento for his own strictly personal reasons, and less to appeal to, or widen, his audience?  And if all that is the case, the question begging answer then is: why would you do this to yourself so early in your career?  A large, dedicated fan base for a grown and seasoned artist (even if said artist isn't exactly a radio hit maker) will generally suffer whatever syrup their champion drools out, but for Daniel Knox, a move this bold and perceived to be this self indulgent, this early on - when he's just on the cusp of being widely recognized, is either fool hearty or arrogant... or both.