DISCOGRAPHY

Though technically residing in Nashville, TN, rising singer-songwriter Daniel James aka Canon Blue has spent the majority of the past three years touring the world with Efterklang while simultaneously writing and recording Rumspringa in their Copenhagen studio. He then headed to Iceland to record orchestral arrangements with renowned string quartet Amiina (most famously recognized as Sigur Ros' string section). The result is a breathtakingly gorgeous mix of orchestral pop and neoclassical minimalism that blends the soulful intimacy of Jeff Buckley and the playful whimsy of Sufjan Stevens with the stately meditation of Steve Reich and Philip Glass. Canon Blue's auspicious beginnings are rooted in the 2007 debut album, Colonies, a bedroom electronic folk collaboration with Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor. Rumspringa ironically finds Daniel James coming into his own by employing nearly 20 musicians to translate his expansive vision. The reserved, introverted abstraction of Colonies has given way to the eclectic glee of Rumspringa, and in the process has magnified the emotional heft and overall replay value significantly.

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The Halcyon EP by Canon Blue was released in the slipstream of his album Colonies as a free digital EP. The release is still free and it is still brilliant! This EP received a lot of praise in the blogosphere and it is all fully deserved! Based on the Halcyon EP the future of Canon Blue looks very bright. You can download it for free in decent MP3 quality or you can spend a few euros at our download store to get it in 320kbps super high quality.

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Released through Efterklang’s Rumraket label after being touted by creator Daniel James from the dank confines of his boudoir in Nashville, Tennessee, and benefiting from a mix by Grizzly Bear’s own Chris Taylor, on paper at least Colonies makes for an attention-grabbing prospect. But a few short minutes into the record’s modest sprawl, you’ll find yourself forgetting all about your expectations, and probably the time of day, and possibly the whereabouts of your large German shepherd dog, which is definitely resting its chin on your vacant lap. Part sweeping electronic collage, and part humdrum singer-songwriterly trawl, it fulfils neither criteria particularly convincingly, failing to impress with the depth of songwriting or the dexterity of its beats. Imagine Four Tet without Kieran Hebden’s ear for exotic textures – there’s nothing on here that you wouldn’t expect to hear, somehow – or maybe Kid A with all the dread sucked out and replaced with a blandly futuristic sheen.