Major Chord - Psychic Civil War (06/09/2011)
Melbourne indie-folk act Major Chord is a solo project from multi-instrumentalist Dan Flynn. From the opening track ‘Tomorrow Night’ to closer ‘Lay Down Your Gun’ this is an easy record to listen to, with a slow wafting and waltz-like feel and the occasional slightly more up-tempo track.
Utilising his day-job as a social worker and weaving his observations into his lyrics this record could initially come across as an atypical piece of easily accessible pop-folk but unlike a lot of other artists in this genre it’s not all doom and gloom. On the second track our troubadour implores “when the time is right you’ll see, that this was always meant to be, all we can do while we’re here is gather all this love”. The track ‘Streetcar’ lulls us into this warm happy place using a combination of a persistent organ drone for backing and what sounds like a washboard for percussion and some soft ukulele strums.
The album’s title track ‘Psychic Civil War’s lyrics were inspired by an English therapist who treated people who heard voices, however it tends to lend itself more like an introspective analysis of something we all seem to suffer from. ‘Dreaming of Murakami’ has Cat Stevens and The Beatles undertones using a softly plucked guitar and a tinkling glockenspiel.
As an artist there are many similarities to other folkies such as Iron & Wine or Grand Salvo or M. Ward. The downside for Major Chord is that for all his lo-fi production, his creative control and performing almost all the instruments himself, and writing such emotive and articulate songs there’s not quite enough to thrust him forward into the spotlight.
This album is a little too easy to listen to, in that you can put it on and soon enough it’s over without anything in particular jumping out to grab you. For those who are more serious about the genre, this album may not quite be up to their standards then. However there are advantages in this as it’s a lot more palatable for those who don’t necessarily want their folk music to be so overt.
Carina Nilma
Utilising his day-job as a social worker and weaving his observations into his lyrics this record could initially come across as an atypical piece of easily accessible pop-folk but unlike a lot of other artists in this genre it’s not all doom and gloom. On the second track our troubadour implores “when the time is right you’ll see, that this was always meant to be, all we can do while we’re here is gather all this love”. The track ‘Streetcar’ lulls us into this warm happy place using a combination of a persistent organ drone for backing and what sounds like a washboard for percussion and some soft ukulele strums.
The album’s title track ‘Psychic Civil War’s lyrics were inspired by an English therapist who treated people who heard voices, however it tends to lend itself more like an introspective analysis of something we all seem to suffer from. ‘Dreaming of Murakami’ has Cat Stevens and The Beatles undertones using a softly plucked guitar and a tinkling glockenspiel.
As an artist there are many similarities to other folkies such as Iron & Wine or Grand Salvo or M. Ward. The downside for Major Chord is that for all his lo-fi production, his creative control and performing almost all the instruments himself, and writing such emotive and articulate songs there’s not quite enough to thrust him forward into the spotlight.
This album is a little too easy to listen to, in that you can put it on and soon enough it’s over without anything in particular jumping out to grab you. For those who are more serious about the genre, this album may not quite be up to their standards then. However there are advantages in this as it’s a lot more palatable for those who don’t necessarily want their folk music to be so overt.
Carina Nilma