by Nathan Cardiff

Danny Pound gets experimental on his new record New Explorations! furthering his already impressive songwriting abilities. With what has to be in the album cover of the year, Pound has crafted a fun, weird, and laid-back album that starts off where last year’s Hobby Howl ended.

The spares opener “Rise & Shine” is a folky tune that fits with the songwriter’s repertoire. After that, all bets are off. The minimal vibe transitions with “Slow Down/Dear Philip pt. 1” with it’s divide hitting at the three minute mark, leaving Pound’s low delivery for an instrumental experiment. The jam continues with the horn (possibly saxophone?) and keyboard combo on “Trane’s Last Weekend.” It’s funky in a gothic sort of way.
 
 
Pound has a way of bringing the mundane and surreal together beautifully, and the dramatic tone and guitar on “I Accidentally Let A Bat Into My Dream” best represents this style. Our songwriter asks the listener if they find another dream without a bat to let him know; he’s been “looking in the classifieds for a brand new bat-free dream.” Pound has a sense of humor even on the record’s darkest track. The soundscapes of “Dear Philip pt. 2” provide a mellow pathway to the stream-of-consciousness heavy “Headed To The Liquor Store With Lady Macbeth,” where drum machine meets Shakespeare. New Explorations! is a perfectly fitting title for Pound’s record; if it’s a concept album, he’s showing us all what he can do outside of his folk abilities. If it’s a turn in a new direction, it’s a fun one. He isn’t afraid to be a wild guy.

Favorite Tracks: “Rise & Shine,” “I Accidentally Let A Bat Into My Dream,” & “Headed To The Liquor Store With Lady Macbeth”

by Nathan Cardiff