Friday, August 20, 2021

Music Reviews: Dan Ashley and Brian Mac Ian

I had one review ready to go and then was unable to post it. As both artists have relatively short catalogs, I decided to post them together today.

Dan Ashley 

Dan Ashley is perfectly pleasant.

The music is not great, but it is in no way bad. Listening is enjoyable. You know that it isn't master craftsmanship or lyric poetry, but that the heart is in the right place.

That is not just from the message of the music but also from seeing that all of his proceeds go to charities that he supports.

The best is probably his Christmas song, "Favorite Time of Year". It may get a boost from Christmas spirit, but it feels right for that, and I know I will use it in December.

I feel some guilt for the faint praise of it all, but there is nothing wrong with a musically nice time.

http://danashleymusic.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/danashleymusic 

https://www.instagram.com/danashleymusic/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy9MfJ6pF1IA17bHzhsDy0Q

https://twitter.com/DanAshleyMusic 

 

Brian Mac Ian

Brian Mac Ian's music makes you notice it more, but is also more abrasive.

That may be most noticeable in "Free Will Gorilla", the only track with words, and those words are yelling at you. Playing the tracks in order, I always started with "DeepInBetween", which is recorded at a lower level. I would always turn the volume up for it, and then as "Free Will Gorilla" started, I was being yelled at loudly.

That is probably playing to his strengths. There are two other tracks that are less in your face, but that also leave less of an impression.

In some ways, this makes Mac Ian similar to Timothy Buss, but where Buss feels pretty consistently about cosmic wonder, with Mac Ian it is more like there are four strong but also very separate feelings.

https://brianmacian.bandcamp.com/

https://twitter.com/brianmacian

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