The Singing Mechanic is Vincent Voss, a real live mechanic who has been performing professionally for about four years, working with the likes of Damien Jurado and Pedro the Lion, but he was "discovered" by Daniel Smith (Danielson Famile) earlier this year. The two decided to work together and the end result is this disc featuring members of the Danielson Familie, as well as others from Unwed Sailor and Casket Lottery.
At the core of the production is some great piano and the songwriting is sometimes whimsical, often quirky, but usually earnest. The disc starts out with an old-time sounding gospel tune "Dying to be Social," about the dangers of engaging in various "social" behaviors. "East Coast/West Coast" extols the joys of being on the road ("Better than a rerun TV show"), while "Panic Attack" is an exhortation to pray away those middle of the night anxiety attacks. Other noteworthy tunes on the disc include "He Saved Me" (which could have been lifted from a Broadway musical), "Angels Understood" (about the longing for a loved one who has passed on), and "No Excuses in Neenah!."
Daniel Smith has a knack for finding some of the more interesting independent artists out there, and his fingerprints are all over this disc. And I'm sure this guy always puts on an interesting live show.
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Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2001Reviewed by Alex KlagesPiano music. For whatever reason, the piano doesn't seem to be as firmly entrenched as a rock instrument as the guitar is. However, this album demonstrates that the piano is just as valid a method of expression as any amount of overdriven and distorted guitars. This album is a pleasant blend of Danielson-like quirky tunes and some fine piano work on more conventional tunes. However, the…Similar sounding releases
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