The Daredevil Christopher Wright - In Deference to a Broken Back (Album Review)
Saturday, 04 September 2010
Written by Rich Kemp
The name "Daredevil" all seems terribly exciting initially. That is until you read further on and meet the somewhat lacklustre name Christopher Wright. "Daredevil?" you may ask. "What could possibly be so risky about this chap?" For one thing, this chap is a band of three lads from Wisconsin that seem to harvest lusciously fun harmonies and bountifully jumping beats while creating a load of lavish indie rock enjoyment. To all intents and purposes: these boys cover many bases.
That's the thing about The Daredevil Christopher Wright: they may be playing surfer rock and roll one moment, but you can be sure that they'll throw you a curveball any second and unleash a fury of catchy, repetitive bass lines that make it impossible not to dance. These chaps are risk-takers - daredevils, if you will - and they should like to take you along for the ride.
Kicking off with a lonely, teary-eyed violin on "Hospital", the three gents tug at your heart strings early on, hoping to get a little rise. It doesn't take long for them to jump away with folk-friendly "The East Coast" as they seem to tell a story while at the same time asking a good load of questions. There are ghostly sea-shanties in "Acceptable Loss" and speedy fun in "A Conversation about Cancer". The trio entice you to stay for longer as they turn things around from a 50s rock and roll session to a furious plastering of harmonious, shouty psychedelia.
Much like Biffy Clyro before they went a bit crap, The Daredevil Christopher Wright have the ability to take you on seventeen rides at once as they change tempo and beat more times in one song than Michael Jackson would have performed wardrobe changes during a show. They slow things back down with "Bury You Alive"'s clean, effective chord structure and a wooden whistle that is impossible not to love while adding a bit of grungy intrigue in "Clouds" until finally sending off with harmless ballad "Stewardess".
These boys have produced an 11-track list of easy, sing-a-long ditties that make you want to chirp along - that is until you realise what you are singing to. The Daredevil Christopher Wright, although seemingly inoffensive, throw out some pretty sobering themes from death and cancer to the simple emptiness of loss itself.
With quick grooving bass lines, plinky pop melodies and especially gritty topics, The Daredevil Christopher Wright's debut should be a winner. They have a few crowd-pleasers here or there with jumpy starts, quiet beginnings and high-pitched harmonies, but it's not always consistent. For every delightful "A Conversation about Cancer" there is a middle-of-the-road "We're Not Friends". For a debut, it's certainly a cut above, but if they really want to turn heads, they need to cut out the filler and deliver more gold.
Stereoboard Rating: 7/10
The Daredevil Christopher Wright - In Deference to a Broken Back is out now.
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That's the thing about The Daredevil Christopher Wright: they may be playing surfer rock and roll one moment, but you can be sure that they'll throw you a curveball any second and unleash a fury of catchy, repetitive bass lines that make it impossible not to dance. These chaps are risk-takers - daredevils, if you will - and they should like to take you along for the ride.
