Posted on: February 5, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The way in which Daniel Patrick Quinn puts a set of vocals onto “Ridin’ The Stang” is interesting, to say the least. Gone is any form of harmony, replaced by an atonal and aharmonic voice that talks over the dirge-rock of tracks like “The Burryman”. The extended length of “The Burryman” really allows Quinn to paint an epic tale that is not a little bit creepy – the repetitive instrumentation really makes the chaotic vocals all the more present, while adding a certain off feeling to the song. By the end of “The Burryman”, a room’s shadows turn into something much more devious, and the trees rustled by wind create all cause for concern.

“Make Hay!” moves the disc into an instrumental realm; this shift really shows that the vocal accompaniment present on the disc’s first two tracks really is not essential to the success of the disc. While the inclusion of vocals may show an experimental side to Quinn, it is really the solid arrangement skills that will make eir worth known. Finally creating a vocal track that includes something in the way of harmony during “Channelkirk And The Surrounding Area”, Daniel Patrick Quinn seems to draw heavily during the space of this track from Devo and Baz Luhrmann. Regardless of the lo-fi method of vocals present on “Ridin’ The Stang”, Quinn creates an atmosphere with eir music that is as lush and vibrant as any of the much-lauded electronic pioneers (Kraftwerk, Eno) could create. The earthiness of tracks like “Rough Music” really add another dimension to Quinn’s style; the drone looks more like a life cycle with the presence of the instrumentation specific to “Rough Music”.

What shows Quinn’s talent most clearly during “Ridin’ The Stang” has to be the middle section of the penultimate (and skillfully named) track “Over and Over”. What sounds like a perfect ending for the disc is brought back from the brink and tried perfectly to the final track, “The Ennerdale Fence”. Even more lo-fi in terms of production values than the rest of the disc, “The Ennerdale Fence” really allows listeners to see Quinn in a much more humane light; one could honestly see clones of Quinn on all the audible instruments – drums, guitars, and droning semi-lyrical voice. By far, Quinn’s music would be a perfect extension of the atmospheric gothic music that was such the rage in the mid-nineties; by infusing that general sound with hints of tribal and traditional music, Quinn has created something new.

Top Tracks: The Ennerdale Fence, The Burryman

Rating: 6.3/10

Daniel Patrick Quinn – Ridin’ The Stang / 2005 Suilven Recordings / 8 Tracks / http://www.suilvenrecordings.com / Reviewed 20 August 2005

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