Daniel Amos

Item: Mr. Buechner's Dream
Author: Brian A. Smith

Mr. Buechner's Dream

(2001)

Reviewed by Brian A. Smith

Discogs Bandcamp Apple Music

Label Galaxy 21 MusicThe Phantom Tollbooth2001

alternative rock art rock

After a six-year hiatus, legendary Christian rockers Daniel Amos have come together once again and released a double album entitled Mr. Buechner's Dream. The title refers, of course, to minister and author Frederick Buechner, who is the subject of two songs on the 33-song project.

DA has been through a lot recently - with the death of Gene Eugene and of several others close to band members. And since it has been so long since their last album, some questions are raised: Are they still relevant to an audience that has shifted in taste? Do they still have the necessary desire to get it done?

Mr. Buechner's Dream answers emphatically: "YES," to both of these questions. It is a magnum opus of social commentary, of painting pictures of people in need of a Savior, yet still taking, at times, a tongue-in-cheek viewpoint to its surroundings.

It is easy to see how DA had influenced almost every Christian alternative band of the last twenty years. Terry Scott Taylor's voice at times recalls those of Mark Heard, T-Bone Burnett, Mark Robertson, Jonathan Rundman, Paul McCartney, and/or Paul Westerberg. Musically, the band cannot be pinned down. "Meanwhile" is a rockabilly song in the style of Tom Petty, while "Nobody Will" could be a Wallflowers outtake. "Faithful Street" evokes The Beatles, and "So Far So Good" has a musical break very much like that of The Doors' "Spanish Caravan." Yet still at other points the CD sounds like a slower version of Chagall Guevara.

And the lyrics? As Taylor writes on "Ribbons and Bows": "...and there may not even be anything here new to say, but I'm fond of finding words that say it a different way." DA takes ordinary situations and people, and holds them up in a new light, with a new perspective and an unfailingly interesting turn of a phrase.

The title track portrays several authors enjoying each other's wit and company. "Staggering Gods" is a commentary on the idols of our culture:

We hear the terrible noise that gives them away
The thud of worn out shoes and cracking feet of clay
We've heard the stammering words of these dying kings
And we shudder at the sound of these fearsome things

"The Tale You Told" is a tribute to those who would make their living by being creative, and "Who's Who Here?" shows the futility of pursuing material things:

Jason and his Argonauts
hangin' out in parking lots
Six-pack kings pull up a chair
To sculptured breasts and derrieres
Each a potential millionaire
And fat cat.

"Over Her Shoulder" refers to the mistake of Lot's wife, and "Pregnant Pause" is a tale of Abraham and Sarah. "Joel" is just that - a quote from the book of Joel set to music. "Steal Away" is another song of the Old Testament that summons Noah's Ark:

Steal away to a lost horizon
There's a promise in Dishonest Skies
Steal away to where the White Dove's flying
If it rains today, don't be surprised.

"Nobody Will" shows our quest for enlightenment while being distracted by the entertainment around us. "Flash in Your Eyes" is a song to Gene Eugene:

Now you're the catch in my throat
Was I in your dreams of last goodbyes?
Now you're the thorn in my heart
Was I a flash in your eyes?

Thirty-three songs, two hours of music, and three albums worth of material. Yet it never grows tiresome. It never gets old. Mr. Buechner's Dream is a triumphant return for Daniel Amos. Let's hope that it doesn't take six years until their next album.

4 tocks