Dan Zimmerman
(Sounds Familyre)
Immanence, the concept that the divine resides within the material world, is the driving force behind this eccentrically powerful songwriter album. Zimmerman, who has lived all kinds of lives, from preacher's son, to itinerant hippie, to gallery-approved visual artist, finds a bit of god's spark in everything and his songs link ordinary observations to animating mysteries. "Symbols in this world, of the world to come," he sings in his big hollow baritone, at times sounding like Leonard Cohen, at others Richard Thompson or Silver Jews' David Berman, but always seeking the hidden spiritual underpinnings of everyday matter.
Musically, Zimmerman's songs also seem to be tapping into something larger, exceeding the boundaries of traditional folk-blues songwriting with full-bodied arrangements. Most of Danielson Famile is on hand to coo gospelly "oohs" and church choir harmonies. Emil Nikolaison of Sereena Maneesh adds a second guitar's distortion and feedback to cuts like "Lost My Technique" and "The Stain Remains," while Zimmerman regular Tony Jones counters with jagged country blues riffs and licks.
Zimmerman's lyrics continually begin with straightforward observations, then pull the rug out with lyrical left turns. "Everyday I get the blues," he sings in "Everyday," as perhaps a 1000 other songwriters have sung before him, but then, more unusually, he follows, "It blends together with the reds." A sharp surreality pervades even his most conventional songs, and the highlights, "Cosmic Patriot", "Symbols in this World" and "Trailing Clouds of Glory" are frankly visionary. It's a grounded sort of vision, though, a blinding light through clouds that floods the ordinary world with radiance and makes you see it in a different way.
Standout Tracks: "Cosmic Patriot", "Symbols in this World," "Clouds of Glory" JENNIFER KELLY
