Daniel Jones & The Small Town Lovers
Cork, Munster, Ireland | SELF
Music
Press
Daniel Jones is a classy singer/songwriter from Cork who uses a full band sound to dress up his songs for a night out on the town. The gently looping 'Rip It Up' has touches of Neil Young and echoes of early britpop but Jones gives it his own stamp so that ultimately it belongs to nobody but him.
'Bouquet' is a slow ponderous song with a drone quality,fuzz guitars for everbody in the audience and an unsettling echo-clad vocal from the boy Jones. The lyrics wonder 'In the end what is the time' while the treatment seems to expand time to the point where you feel its in danger of snapping, but doesn't.
Taunting The Tide is mouth-wateringly magnificant, one of the best Irish tracks I've heard all year,a quality vocal performace by Jones on a song that ends with a teary, but never mawkish,piano solo and strings. If anything, its too short at 3 minutes and 13 seconds. Never thought I'd ever say that - Hot Press
Balloon” by Daniel Jones is the follow-up to last year’s “Faces, Girls, Monsters”, an e.p described as a ‘compelling debut’ by Stephen Errity in Hot Press. “Faces, Girls, Monsters” also received Jackie Hayden's prestigious “Pick of the Fortnight" accolade in the same magazine and garnered nationwide airplay. Jones has taken his time with the follow-up, living in Nashville for a period working on his song-craft. The result is a titanic three song suite that attacks with melody and invention.
Whiskeytown guitars, married with Stone Roses drums, support a yearning vocal on classic opener “Pull Me Out Of The Rain”. There is controlled feedback underpinning the song as Jones warns of “Danger in the future, and in the past”.....
“Lovers” begins with a pretty acoustic guitar motif before exploding into a chorus that Brett Anderson wishes he had written. This song displays in spades the bourgeoning confidence flowing through the maturing songwriter.
“Fires (&Desires)” is a bewitching ballad to wrap up affairs. R.E.M at their most magisterial would have burned Peter Buck’s Rickenbacher to stumble upon such a perfect circle of grace and beauty. The charming backing vocals of Melissa Power compliment Jones in a gorgeous ‘daughter of Emmylou’ way.
With “Balloon”, Daniel Jones has announced his arrival in glittering style as a songwriter of unquestionable quality. Guerrilla warfare is declared on pop sensibilities with these three songs that take no prisoners. Daniel’s debut album “Forever, In Disguise” will appear in the Summer months. For now, “Balloon” is a marvellous taster – a thrilling step on a glorious journey.
- Index Records
The only "Daniel Jones musician" I can find
on Googie is the guy from Savage Garden,
but this doesn't sound like him at all. So
'Balloon' is a three-track EP from a different
Daniei Jones, who'll be releasing a debut
album called Forever, In Disguise this summer
'Pull Me Out OfThe Rain' opens with all
the verve of an early Smashing Pumpkins
track,'Lovers'starts off acousticaily before
exploding into a Suede-ish chorus, and
'Fires (&Desires)' is reminiscent of early
REM.
Jones is highly talented, but probably
needs to work on his web profiie
- Hot Press Magazine
Discography
Faces,Girls,Monsters EP - 2008
Balloon EP - 2009
Rip It Up - Single 2010
Forever,In Disguise - Debut Album (September 2010)
Photos