Ran Away To Sea

Item: Ran Away To Sea
Author: Tom Bastian

(1999)

Reviewed by Tom Bastian

Discogs Bandcamp

Label Burnt Toast VinylDecapolis2000

acoustic indie rock

This band is definitely one of the best bands in the Lancaster PA area right now. I guess my review might be kind of biased since I know some of the guys in the band, and have seen them play a few times, although they have not really been together as a band for that long. The backbone, or should I say originator of this band is Daniel French. Daniel has been playing his music in the Lancaster Area for at least 5 or so years now, and has been in various bands, as well as performing on his own often. Daniel is known for his unique voice, and an incredible ability to write great and captivating songs, both lyrically and musically. A few of the songs that appear on this CD, Daniel used to perform solo on his acoustic guitar and it was interesting to see how these songs were transformed in to all out indie rock band tunes. After listening to this CD as a whole it kind of reminded me a little bit of Modest Mouse, but really kind of just stood alone as something all it's own. Some people get annoyed by Daniel's voice, but I personally like it. It just seems to go along perfectly with his lyrics. It definitely helps to portray the raw emotion that the songs speak about. Oh did I mention that the drumming on this CD is really good too? The drummer is actually Daniel's younger brother Scott French. Who is quite the musician himself, contributing to various other bands, as well as writing and producing his own solo CD. Even though this would be classified as almost moody or dark indie rock, the songs still give off a very melodic and catchy feel to them. If you're into indie rock, then I would highly recommend that you check this band out. Also you should check out Daniel French's other CD that is now available via Burnt Toast Vinyl. It's called "Viewfinder", and is just as good, if not better than this CD.