DANIEL JOHNSTON
Fear Yourself (Gammon)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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Genius or loony? Maybe both. Daniel Johnston's harried history of mental illness (manic depression) has been a thorn and a blessing to his recording career. He's certainly managed to stay in the game much longer than most, and with this, his 27th album (!!!), Johnston delivers a gem for his longtime fans. Childlike pop tunes, mostly about girls and God, often sung and played in a sweet, fragile, innocent, pure, repetitious and out of tune manner, are buoyed by the accompaniment of Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous - a soul mate if ever there was one. Linkous leaves some of the tunes in their haunting skeleton state, and embellishes others with a full blown band. The result is a great rollercoaster ride of a record, showing all sides of Daniel Johnston: a tortured, struggling musician, and a sporadically gifted pop maestro capable of brilliance. Here's your chance to join the cult!

© 2003 - John Sekerka