Daniel Johnston

Released in October of 2009, Is and Always Was is the first release in over six years from outsider artist Daniel Johnston. For anyone familiar with Johnston’s eclectic, yet catchy, pop styling, this will be a pleasant treat. The first song on the album, “Mind Movies”, will seem like a downer at first, but don’t let it fool you into thinking that it represents the theme of the album. Its follow-up, “Fake Records of Rock & Roll”, picks up the beat and gives that special hook that Johnston does so well. With songs like, “Queenie the Dog” (about bereaving the death of the family pet) and “I Had Lost My Mind”, you’re thirst for quirky, eccentric, socially dysfunctional melodies are quenched. The last four songs are his most melancholy, and lack the sugary hook that Johnston is known for, but the overall feel of the album is up-tempo and catchy. The production quality is amazing. Each song is layered and full, which is good and bad. Good, because the songs are powerful and have depth. Bad, because it is so far removed from the keyboard-in-the-basement-with-a-tape-player feel that made Johnston so inspirational in the first place. Even with the moody ending tracks, Is and Always Was is definitely one to add to the collection.