Drew Danburry: Goodnight Gary

I became acquainted with Drew Danburry when I played a show with him in the living room of a house in New Haven. The show’s attendants were essentially musician who were playing the show, their significant others, and the promoter. Yet in that tiny living room, Drew Danburry put on a fun and exciting show. Granted that was probably four years ago now, but Drew is still blazing his DIY trail of relentless touring and putting out albums sporadically. His latest effort is Goodnight Gary, a digital only release.

Danburry’s voice has the unconfident warble of the Microphones. He occassionally shows the gruffness of Tom Waits but usually is a little softer than that. His song writing is usually a little sarcastic with song titled such as “Gas Masks at the Barbeque Beach Party Make Out Session” and “These Windy Days Make for Winded Nights”.

The DIY ethic is apparent throughout the release. “Edited” was recorded on an answering machine. The song is bare bones and feels sad and desolate as many lo-fi solo acoustic records feel. The mood stands in stark contrast to a track like “For My Friends” which sounds like a party. Other instruments are added like piano, drums, bass, and horns and build up that party atmosphere.

My main problem with the album is that there aren’t enough uptempo numbers. I am all for changes of pace, but it seems the pace of the album is slow and plodding with occasional bursts of energy. Part of that can be chalked up to being a solo acoustic musician largely, but Daburry’s high energy shows make me think he should write more high energy songs.

Rating: 6.7/10

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