Spring Break
Not everything is big in Texas
Dan Hunter's one man prog-experience comes off rather childish
Alex McElroy
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Diversions
It seems fitting that Dan Hunter has inserted repetition into his stage name, Playradioplay! While many of his songs are very catchy and the electric beats that he creates are at times phenomenal, the repetition in his lyrics can be downright unbearable at times.
Every song on his recently released full-length album, "Texas," seems to follow the same trend of one to two minutes of storytelling, followed by a repeated chorus for the remaining two to three minutes. Sometimes the chorus' catchiness makes everything okay (see "I'm Afraid There's a Hole in My Brain" and "I'm a Pirate, You're a Princess") but at other times the lyrics become annoying (don't see "My Attendance is Bad, But my Intentions are Good").
As an 18-year-old, many of Hunter's songs revolve around high school experiences and teenage angst, and at times his lyrics make his songs sound like they belong at an under-18 nightclub. "The best thing summer gave me, better than silence and no school, no curfew and no rules" on "Some Crap About the Furniture" is just one example. There isn't anything wrong with appealing to a younger audience, but it feels like his lyrics are hindering his talent. The electric beats that Hunter mixes are many times much better than the childish lyrics that accompany them.
Hunter signed with Island Records at age 17, and he is now well on his way to stardom, but it would be nice to see his writing talent level off with his musical talent.
Initially Hunter intended on including 20 tracks on the release. Island restricted this because it is not typical for a debut release to contain more than 18 tracks. The eight instrumental tracks are tagged onto the end of the tracks as a segue, titled: "3.5" and so on.
Hunter earned success through the world of MySpace, where his songs have racked up over 10 million plays. He is currently on tour (foregoing college to pursue music, an obvious choice) and will be in Portland on April 5 at the Hawthorne Theater.
Alex McElroy
diversions@dailybarometer.com
Every song on his recently released full-length album, "Texas," seems to follow the same trend of one to two minutes of storytelling, followed by a repeated chorus for the remaining two to three minutes. Sometimes the chorus' catchiness makes everything okay (see "I'm Afraid There's a Hole in My Brain" and "I'm a Pirate, You're a Princess") but at other times the lyrics become annoying (don't see "My Attendance is Bad, But my Intentions are Good").
As an 18-year-old, many of Hunter's songs revolve around high school experiences and teenage angst, and at times his lyrics make his songs sound like they belong at an under-18 nightclub. "The best thing summer gave me, better than silence and no school, no curfew and no rules" on "Some Crap About the Furniture" is just one example. There isn't anything wrong with appealing to a younger audience, but it feels like his lyrics are hindering his talent. The electric beats that Hunter mixes are many times much better than the childish lyrics that accompany them.
Hunter signed with Island Records at age 17, and he is now well on his way to stardom, but it would be nice to see his writing talent level off with his musical talent.
Initially Hunter intended on including 20 tracks on the release. Island restricted this because it is not typical for a debut release to contain more than 18 tracks. The eight instrumental tracks are tagged onto the end of the tracks as a segue, titled: "3.5" and so on.
Hunter earned success through the world of MySpace, where his songs have racked up over 10 million plays. He is currently on tour (foregoing college to pursue music, an obvious choice) and will be in Portland on April 5 at the Hawthorne Theater.
Alex McElroy
diversions@dailybarometer.com
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