Dagan Harding - Pretty Expert
Dagan Harding—leader of the late, lamented Despistado and the EP-releasing Geronimo—has released a solo record called Best Times. For anyone who loved Despistado (or heard Geronimo at all), this record is for you, though it’s a lot less abrasive, I suppose, than Despistado’s stuff. But if you’ve never heard Harding’s music, there probably aren’t a lot of easy comparison points—maybe late Blood Brothers, especially the poppier songs from Crimes or Young Machetes—but the dude is an inventive songwriter. There is a lot to be said for musicians who keep a song moving, changing, and turning in interesting ways, both lyrically and musically. That’s something that Harding does exceptionally well. His songs are never boring and they’re almost always catchy.[BUY Best Times]