I first came across singer/songwriter Dylan Paul Ware some four years ago when an album was released featuring covers of his songs by different musicians. Although he was born and raised in New Zealand, until recently he had been travelling and living abroad for 26 years, settling in Istanbul for more than a decade, where he released a couple of albums as The Infinity Chamber, mostly in the folk or alt folk style, until a full band came together for the third release. Now back in Nelson, he is celebrating by releasing a new album which contains previously released singles. I don’t have information as to when these were all recorded and originally made available, but he is bringing together elements from the likes of folk, grunge and psychedelia, often with a darkness and other worldly feel about them.
Perhaps that is not a surprise as he states his favourite albums are by Dire Straits, NIN, The Beatles, CCR, AC/DC, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Tom Waits, so quite an eclectic mix. Apart from Nine Inch Nails and Metallica, which are 80’s acts, all the rest are from the 70’s or earlier and this certainly has much more in common with the sounds from times gone by as opposed to modern music.
There are times when I think of a dark Nick Drake, but at others it is more like Television or Talking Heads, and there is certainly material which would have happily sat at CBGB’s in the 70’s, but other songs which are far more sedate and reflective in nature, while “The Lonely Gnome” would easily belong on ‘Relics’. It is very much of the underground as opposed to the mainstream, the feeling of a musician and singer who is on the outside looking in, providing a beauty which is rugged and majestic with the songs being carefully crafted for those who listen as opposed to those who was commercial radio pap all the time. Given the only other album of his I have heard is a collection of his songs being performed by others, and this was recorded over a period of time with different line-ups, I am definitely looking forward to hearing his first complete album in Aotearoa. Well worth investigation.
Rating: 7/10