Although Dan McKean’s earlier projects glean inspiration from backlit acoustic charm, Wheat, his latest EP, opts for a more lo-fi ambience. The man is, after all, a DIY enthusiast when it comes to layered harmonics, textural instrumentation and programmed beats. So we’ll forgive him for strumming much less on this four-song collection.
McKean professes a penchant for melody and “reflective words,” which is to say, he fancies himself a lyricist. This acquaintanceship with emotional lexicon is surely a plus. It’s easy enough to describe one’s feelings, but quite another to provoke the listener’s empathy. This is accomplished, over the course of 16 minutes, using the type of whispered grooves that tap, unoffensively, into the vein of musical eunuchs. “Wheat,” the title track, begins with a Casio-esque melody – mixed very forward – before reverting to a solemn type of ‘yacht rocksmanship.’ It’s a post-Gen X take on the genre, losing any allusions to chest hair or AM grandeur in favor of clean sensitivity. That isn’t to say it remains soft in all places. One of the key lyrics, “wake me up if you need someone,” is part kiss-off, part sad sack desperation, depending on your view of fractured relationships. It tends to drag a bit at the close, but McKean isn’t fashioning a Purgatorial “Hey Jude” reprise so much as an ’80s era fadeout. And it probably sounds fantastic on your old man’s transistor radio. “Started Out So Well” continues where its predecessor leaves off. Namely, with the same glossy vibe, ripened amid a dash of Steely Dan (minus the flap-mouthed – not to mention, overt – sleaze). Thirty years ago, this kind of thing would have rocked supermarket playlists. But now it just harkens back to a time where dudes could embrace introspective individualism with a side of electric piano. By the time the EP glides into “Aching,” the superfluous instrumental trappings are stripped bare. Sure, the tune is catchy, if not melancholic, but it also leans more genuine in this form. Gone are the allusions toward bistro jazz, and with them, the breezy accoutrements of the record’s first half. The biggest difference in style, however, occurs at the final track. Titled “Thousand Reasons,” it slinks into an acoustically driven alt-folk vista, marking the bridge between the artist’s prior output and more smoothed modern sound. Ultimately, Wheat is an earnest serving of calm; slickly defined and professionally recorded. Consider it eggs over easy on a churchless Sunday morning, or the aural equivalent of bitter-free decaf. Could the production have used more punch? At times, yes. But it’s difficult to fuss under so much tranquility. Why fight it? Simply close your eyes and plug that long corded mic into the armchair of a fair-weathered soul. Play on, player.
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