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THE DAN PARSONS PROJECT
"I don't fit in/ The odd man out again in even teams/ And
I never win …" So sings Dan Parsons on his debut album,
Firestarter (out now through MGM). But soon after it was
released, the title track won Best Pop Song, beating Hungry
Kids Of Hungary, at Q Song, the Queensland music awards.
Triple J called the Brisbane singer-songwriter "the king
of contradictory pop". "I guess they mean that a lot of
my lyrics exude a certain melancholy," Dan smiles, "while
the accompanying music feels energetic and optimistic. Perhaps
'paradoxical' would have been a better word." Has Dan had
a favourite description of his sound? "'Parsons' sound emanates
a range of genres that he messes together seamlessly, somehow
making you forget that they were really that different to
begin with.'"
Dan has come a long way since the first song he wrote. "It
was called 'Hey Mister Joe-Man'," he tells Howzat! "I was
on a train playing my guitar and got talking to this eccentric
guy who took an interest in me. When you're 16, everything
around you seems like it's worth writing about, so it felt
natural to outline our brief conversation with a song. I
never got his name, so I dubbed him 'Joe-Man'. He was a
nice guy, in his 40s; quite nervy actually. I remember him
telling me to really make a go of my talents (note - the
title may have been influenced by a certain Bob Dylan song)."
Dan has copped plenty of comparisons. "Sometimes people
compare my music to that of a pumped-up Wilco or The Shins.
This makes me simultaneously happy and surprised because
I seriously love those bands but find it hard to see where
the similarities lie. For a long time I was compared to
James Taylor, mainly because I am a huge fan and trawled
through his records for clues on how to improve. We have
similar vocal timbres, I guess, slightly nasal, but not
harsh. In the beginning, I got tired of the comparisons,
but now I just take it as a compliment. He's the master."
Dan - who lists his biggest Aussie influences as The Boat
People and Dan and Paul Kelly - is already planning his
next album. "I want to write an album that's rustic, but
colourful; aesthetic cohesion is important to me." But first,
he's enjoying the "Run, Rabbit, Fly" tour with Seagull and
Dead Letter Chorus, which hits the Workers Club on Saturday.
Asked for a review of his tour mates, Dan says: "Seagull,
the brain-child of Chris Bolton, have some great songs,
particularly a tune called Two Trees. Very intimate and
raw, but at no point boring or ambiguous. Reverb, emotion
and a penchant for post-rock flavoured songs with acoustic
instruments make them a truly awesome act, both live and
on record. Dead Letter Chorus are a band that have a whole
bunch of influences that they somehow work into a coherent,
original style. It's like they've taken the best aspects
of a lot of genres and stitched them together into something
you've never seen/heard before. Even though it's not as
black and white as that, you still find yourself asking,
'Why didn't I think of that?!' The answer is, even if you
had taken that approach, no one would be able to pull it
off like these cats."
FIELDS OF DREAMS
"I think we're here for something special," Angie Hart told
the Thornbury Theatre crowd last Friday. "I think we're
seeing the start of big things." Angie was talking about
Georgia Fields, who was launching her self-titled debut
album. Georgia certainly knows how to do a special show.
And her "picnic" gig drew an all-star crowd, including her
uncle Billy Miller, producer Greg Arnold and RRR's Mitchell
Johnson lookalike, Ben Birchall.
CHART WATCH
So we all laughed at the ARIAs, but what did they mean for
this week's chart? Well, three acts that performed at the
awards all had big gains - Birds of Tokyo leap from 20 to
13, Sia's Clap Your Hands jump from 26 to 17, while Angus
& Julia Stone's Big Jet Plane returns to the Top 40, rising
from 47 to 21.
Plans BIRDS OF TOKYO (number 13)
Clap Your Hands SIA (17)
Freefallin' ZOE BADWI (19)
Big Jet Plane ANGUS & JULIA STONE (21)
Planets SHORT STACK (26)
I Go To Sleep SIA (32, debut)
Get 'Em Girls JESSICA MAUBOY (40)
After being de-butt of countless jokes, Jessica Mauboy debuts
at number six. Last week, 16 Aussie albums were in the national
Top 40; this week, there are just 10. But five acts that
performed at the ARIAs benefit from the exposure: Best Album
winners, Angus & Julia Stone, jump from 10 to five; Washington
bullets from 35 to 13; Birds of Tokyo fly from 20 to 15;
Sia rises from 39 to 18; and The John Butler Trio move from
31 to 21.
Down The Way ANGUS & JULIA STONE (number five)
Get 'Em Girls JESSICA MAUBOY (six, debut)
Jack JOHN FARNHAM (eight)
I Believe You Liar WASHINGTON (13)
Birds Of Tokyo BIRDS OF TOKYO (15)
We Are Born SIA (18)
April Uprising THE JOHN BUTLER TRIO (21)
Little Bird KASEY CHAMBERS (29)
Tangier BILLY THORPE (30)
The Very Best Of CROWDED HOUSE (37)
HOWZAT! PLAYLIST
Run With Me DAN PARSONS
Seven Years GEORGIA FIELDS
Everything You Need NICK BATTERHAM
Alpha Man GUN STREET GIRLS
Montana To Mexico PENNY IKINGER
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