Dropout Dan is Dan ODell. And hes not even that anymore.
His new project is called Heartwork. But I wanted to review this because
he left it at a recent (very good) gig he played in Cambridge after
I refused to pay for one. And he did deserve my money, because he
wrote all of the beautiful songs he performed in a week. I had just
regrettably spent all of my money on cider. Naturally.
Anyway, Forever. Instead, though released over a year
ago, gives a strong indication of what this 23-year-old does really
well to this very day. Listening to the songwriting and arrangements,
it is always mindblowing for someone as old as me that someone as
young as him can create with such a depth. Having been likened to
Frank Turner, and popularly and lazily labelled indie folk,
what this EP really sounds like in my opinion is the emo acoustic
rock of the early noughties. Dashboard Confessional was but one of
the most notable story-tellers of this time and it is this brand of
slightly angry love notes that Dropout Dan pinches from here. But
better obviously.
Recorded by Matty Moon and featuring contributions from members of
other Cambs rockers, The Perfect Crime, Oh, little red
is starkly honest, setting the tone for the rest of the tracks
theme of nostalgia and a faint hint of optimism. My favourite is The
sound of faking for its textured and passionate subtlety. What
one man and a guitar can achieve is as big as he dares to dream. And
it sounds like Dropout Dan, Heartwork or whatever he wants to call
himself dreams big. Be part of it. Oh, and save a fiver for the CD
at the end of the next gig. Hic.