Damien Fairchild of For All the Girls is one interesting kid. He’s a teenager who records odes to all of the girls he’s loved in between watching the first season of The OC. He’s a talented musician, having released For All the Girls, a 14-track album, on his fourteenth birthday (February 14th, 2012.) He sounds a lot like musician/barber Drew Danburry. Most interesting of all, Damien is imaginary: he’s Drew Danburry’s alter-ego. It seems that Damien came into being while Danburry was writing songs for an album under his own name and got hit with writer’s block. Like method acting, Danburry was able to put himself into then 13-year-old Damien’s shoes and write cute love songs to all of his special ladies (of which there are many). What Damien/Danburry came up with is a collection of short, sweet love songs to fictional ladies whom this fictional boy digs.
FAtG’s self-titled debut album is chock full of charming love songs with classic sensibilities and modern percussion. The vocals could be out of the 1950s, while some of the beats could be found in a current pop or hip-hop track. There are also a few tracks that bear many folksy similarities to Danburry’s recent album, The First Pillar. Each song features different guest artists, giving each song a slightly different sound. “Casey” screams “DREW DANBURRY!” while “Eliza” and “Phylicia” could have come out of the early ‘60s pop scene. “Nikole,” “Sierra,” and “Maryanne” have more modern beats provided by drum machine. (By the way, if you’re wondering how one should dance to “Maryanne,” check out the video for the song on YouTube. It’s pretty awesome.)
The lyrics are sweet; at times they’re syrupy, at others they’re absolutely adorable. “Nikole” is an example of the adorable lyrics. Damien likes Nikole “more than a peanut butter and banana sandwich” and likes the way she treats people with respect. If the lyrics don’t make you melt, you probably have a black hole where your heart should be. That, or you were never 14 years old. There’s plenty about sharing lives together, plenty about what could have been if middle school hadn’t gotten in the way, plenty of what young love is all about. It’s cute.
This review is a little late considering the album was released last year, but think of the plus side. If you like this album, you don’t have to wait very long for new material – lots of new material. Damien, now 15, has been busy and has 70 songs for the next album (which, according to FAtG’s Facebook page, may be split into three albums). If you like cute folk-pop love songs with a drum machine, you’ll be pulling for Damien and all of the girls. If you need your daily squee, take a listen to “Nikole” below.
Rating: 7.5/10
MP3: For All the Girls “Nikole”
Buy: iTunes
