Brother Is to Son

This sixth Danielson album has been a long time coming for Daniel Smith. On "Brother Is To Son," the entire Danielson Famile (siblings Andrew, David, Megan, and Rachel; wife Elin; friends Christian & Melissa Palladino; daughter Lilly), as well as familiar co-conspirators (father Lenny, Sufjan Stevens, Half-Handed Cloud's John Ringhofer, Soul-Junk's Glen Galaxy, and Leopulde's Ted Velykis) all support Daniel. The special-ness that the full band brought to previous Danielson albums is fully intact. The earnest vocal chirp of head Danielson himself is still there, not to mention the impassioned and punk-inspired hard strum of his acoustic guitar. He still leads his folk jamboree through the familial boy-girl harmonies, as the banjos, bells, piano keys, and jaw harp all teem with kinetic energy, like a deconstructionist jug band led by a man following in the footsteps of Sun Ra, Don Van Vliet, and Johnny Lydon. What's unique about "Brother Is to Son" is its pervasive tenderness, most clearly manifested in Daniel's ever-broadening vocal range. Taking a cue from Dylan's "Bringing It All Back Home," "Brother Is to Son" opens confidently and intensely, but by the second half, turns in on itself, allowing Smith to reveal a vulnerability unmatched on his previous albums.