Search - Dan Nicholson :: Realer Than Real

A Magnum Opus From An Obscure Genius

Georgie | Madison, WI | 11/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although it's been six years since this album came out, anyone who caught Dan Nicholson's solo acoustic show in Minneapolis (October 2004) will know that some of these songs are very close to his heart. Although the current batch of great songs he's performing ensure that his second disc will far outshine this work, for now, at least, it's all we have. Having said that, having only this disc is not a bad thing at all.

The album opens with the classic "Straight Line," a brooding, bluesy number in which Nicholson introduces the core theme of the album: mainly, the dissolution and confusion swallowing up his life, and that of the people around him. Throughout the song, he builds up a head a steam that finally explodes in the last chorus, with the band (he played all the instruments himself, by the way) following his step-for-step.

"Straight Line" segues into the power-pop of "Brooklyn Heights," one of the catchiest songs on the album. From there, we get our first undeniably masterpiece, the all-acoustic "Heroine Girl?" The lyrics resonate with strange imagery and beat-poet rhythms, and builds to an unstoppable climax. "Morning Song" is another coulda-woulda-shoulda bit a hit number, with an impassioned vocal delivery and neat multi-tracked harmonies, which make you wish he had done more or that throughout the album. "Golden Air" is a lush, acoustic ballad that was the highlight of many of the band Wilt's shows (of which he was a member) from 1996-2001. "Fakers & Illusions" finds Nicholson half-rapping half-singing over a bouncy riff in a letter to a long-lost friend. The tracks speaks volumes about loss, longing, and the frailty of the human condition. "Road She Traveled," another highlight of his early live shows, quietly asserts itself as one of Nicholson's most deeply felt songs. It also features a blazing solo from Mike Dunn, another musical genius who's managed to be more elusive than Nicholson over the years, if that's possible. "Neverthought" is an upbeat, powerful acoustic number, with an ascending riff that brings Husker Du's best work to mind. You can't get much more intense with just a voice and a guitar.

"Music And Dope" starts off almost like a lullaby, before breaking into a driving propulsive riff that drives the track home. There's also some neat studio trickery on the fade-out, as well as a bluesy, heartfelt solo from another hard-to-find genius, the iconic Malaka DeSilva. His solo ranks up there as some of the best guitar work on the album, or anywhere, for that matter. "Won't See Me Around" is another dynamic would-be single, which finds Nicholson singing a twisted valentine to a lost love over a lush assembly of acoustic and electric guitars.

"My Love...Like Springtime Flowers," along with "Heroine Girl?" is the other "Realer Than Real" track Nicholson chose to showcase at his '04 Minneaplois show, and he brought the house down with it. This track features some of the best vocal work on the entire disc, as Nicholson gives his pipes a mammoth workout over a single spare guitar track.

"Let Me See You," ends the album, and it's a perfect closer of a song. Winding things down, the track finds Nicholson softly singing over a gently plucked acoustic guitar riff, along with understated drum and bass work. As the track draws to a close, we hear Nicholson, presumably speaking to the producer in the control room, say, "Okay, that's it." And he's right. That's it. He knows he just recorded one hell of an album. And that's all there is to it.

"Realer Than Real" was produced and engineered by Dan Nicholson, with the help of legedary Brooklyn metal produced Mike Ferrera, who gamely steps out of his comfort zone for this acoustic based folk-rock project. Ferrera is wise enough to get out of the way and let the songs do the work. The spirit in which the album was recorded, one take for everything, drums, then bass, then guitars, then vocals, shines through, and embues the record with a natural, rootsy feel. The title may seem like a joke at first, but after one listen, you'll know what "Realer Than Real" is supposed to mean. This is one mother of an album, and as far as music goes, it just don't get no realer than this."

Dan the Man Nicholson

Georgie | 03/01/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a fine fine fine peice of work. If your after those cats from the five-six, hit this album up. He is realer than real and after one listen he's got you. Check this out all of you. -Will G., Buddy from the days of West End Line."