Danny Schmidt - Owls (2015)

Schmidt looks outside himself, impelled by big questions whose answers he will neither provide nor find. The music is often lovely, the lyrics at times as inscrutable ("The slurry of a long and broken nose…") as the problems Schmidt confronts with dense, daring wordsmithing layering irony upon irony. The allegorical "Girl with Lantern Eyes" opens, announcing a sonic shift for Schmidt with a long middle-eastern influenced guitar and percussion intro. "The Guns and the Crazy Ones," recognizes the insanity of our country's "every day… display / Of cannons come loose" with a Band reminiscent sound. "Soon the Earth Shall Swallow," comes on with the thunder of bass and drums to link hydraulic fracturing, the degradation of the ocean, GMO crops, and mass incarceration. The haunting "Bad Year for the Cane," tells the Job-like story of the farmer who lost his arm and his wife. He endures though, "…led by a promise that the heart can mend." A sunset inspires "Looks Like God" and questions about reconciling what's broken and what's beautiful. Delicate lead prettifies the lovely "Cries of Shadows," restating the melody between verses. "Paper Cranes" brings on the ominous with a chilling electric guitar sound. "Wings of No Restraint" closes with a Daedulus inspired story, a full out rockin' band, and a strong chorus. The world Schmidt depicts is serious stuff, his trademark humor largely absent. But you will find comfort in the beauty of the songs and the beauty in the mysteries.

TRACKLIST

01. Girl With Lantern Eyes
02. Guns & the Crazy Ones
03. Soon the Earth Shall Swallow
04. Faith Will Always Rise
05. Bad Year for Cane
06. Looks Like God
07. Cries of Shadows
08. All the More to Wonder
09. Cry On the Flowers
10. Paper Cranes
11. Wings of No Restraint