I recently stumbled upon Dan Croll’s newly released single, Swim, and I was suitably impressed. Croll has managed to create something that is equal parts fresh and catchy. While I’m a fan of Sweet Disarray, Swim gives us a taste of something different.
What I’ve loved about Dan Croll since I first discovered his music is quite simply put, how good it feels. I once watched a chick flick in which good songs were described as ‘dinner’. This is perhaps the best way in which my limited pop culture inspired vocabulary serves me to describe Swim, and Dan Croll’s approach to music as a whole. Other than the obvious fact of Croll’s music feeling really, really good, it is musically complex and layered enough not to fall into the ‘guilty pleasure’ category. Swim reveals Croll to have grown as a lyricist and as a musician. The synergy between electronic and live instrumentation has superseded the standard set by Sweet Disarray. He has chosen to include a prominent female vocal in his new single and it is surprisingly seamless. Perhaps this is due to the similarity in texture that the two voices share, or perhaps Croll has simply worked his magic in the production room in order to make Swim really easy on our ears. While Swim is a beautiful development of Croll’s signature style that we have come to know and love, One of Us is a really surprising indie rock anthem that I find myself equally intrigued with. Elements of early 2000’s punk rock spring to mind when the heavy bass line and clear, harmonious vocal collide. Something in the combination of spacey electronic sounds, steady drum beat and the combination of electric and acoustic guitar sounds brings up memories of MGMT. The lyrics, referencing a kind of casual, cool peer pressure, remind me of the feeling I get when I listen to Red Hot Chilli Peppers or even early Arctic Monkeys. Croll has somehow drawn on nostalgia whilst maintaining an exceptional musical quality and originality. These two releases have most definitely whet my appetite for the album to come and along with my anticipation is something quite rare, the notion that I have no idea what to come, but that I can be sure it will be fantastic.
