Dennis Driscoll
Voices in the Fog
K
Dennis Driscoll sounds eerily like the guitarist from The Dead Milkmen, the one that sang only occasionally, on tracks like “Dean’s Dream” and “Punk Rock Girl.” Could it be that he’s now performing folk music under the code name “Dennis Driscoll”? No, it couldn’t.
Driscoll is a pretty established folk artist from Washington state, and his music accurately reflects the somber mood of many from that area. His instrumentation, which is primarily his voice and guitar, wanders around in minimalism, playing soft little melancholy tunes, with harmonica here and there. The songs on Voices in the Fog remind me of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, minus the ferocity and emotion that Bruce used to put into his music.
It is clear that, first and foremost, Driscoll is part of the indie/hipster community; the delivery of his voice seems very disinterested, in a “winter afternoon reading Hawthorne at the coffee shop” kind of way. He also has some hipster cronies of his on this record, as well, including Khaela Maricich and Mirah, and even going so far as to have Calvin Johnson to record it! This is relatively cute indie folk, for only the hippest of hip. Make sure to look bored when giving this a try.
K Records: http://www.krecs.com
