Drew Danburry

This Could Mean Trouble, You Don't Speak for the Club (2008)

Darren

Drew Danburry is a prolific folk/pop artist who seems to put out either an EP or an LP every year. And at the time of each release, I get an email from Drew asking if I'd like a copy of that new disc for review. I always accept, and I always earnestly enjoy the music he sends me. The music is always catchy, quirky, and much like its author, extremely genuine. However, none of his material has ever truly wowed me, and This Could Be Trouble, You Don't Speak for the Club does nothing to change that opinion of his output. It's a solid disc, but it still faces the same problems he normally does: It lacks a definitive personality.

Danburry's music is often split between moody tracks like "Life Security" that sound like Saddle Creek material (think Bright Eyes or the Good Life), and pop tracks such as "Residents in Orange County," which are more akin to bands like Oh No! Oh My! or an acoustic Weezer (a band referenced in the first track of this album). Finding the halfway point between these two drastically different styles of songs is likely the direction that Danburry needs to go, where he allows his fun and positive personality shine through, as the slow numbers like "Memorial Day" tend to clash with his generally optimistic outlook on life. Danburry is at his closest to achieving this on the opening to "Tonight I Was Trying to Read (Parts One and Two)." Unfortunately, this part of the track was given an extremely muffled production, and is hardly audible.

Danburry is at his best when he allows himself to find his own voice rather than emulate the one Conor Oberst has already used for many years (and has been cloned many times over). At times like this, such as on the stellar track "Accident," the disc shines. It's a shame, though, that these moments are few and far between. It seems almost a step back from his EP, Mother, which better utilized his knack for finding great pop hooks.

Don't get me wrong. This Could be Trouble, You Don't Speak for the Club is still a very enjoyable collection of songs, but it simply leaves the listener with the realization that the artist is capable of much better music than is on the disc.