While in L.A. this past summer, I came across an article in a local magazine discussing the music of Danielle Dax, which also featured a partial interview. I’d heard her name before but had never investigated her music. I read it over brunch and found myself smiling, I enjoyed her attitude. She sounded interesting (and sufficiently obscure that I’d probably enjoy being the only person in my circle of friends “in the know”, haha!)
One thing that sticks out from the article was her response when asked about her music being considered experimental, avant-garde and unusual. She answered something to the effect that she was just creating music she liked, and that she actually thought it was pretty commercial. I liked that a lot. I promised myself to check her out when I got back to Taiwan, maybe listen to something on Spotify. Thinking nothing further of it, I finished brunch and went about my day.
My day, as it turns out, included a trip to a used record store that afternoon (Going Underground)….. and what do you think I stumbled upon in the bins? If you guessed an LP by Danielle Dax, you guessed correctly! For a whopping $5 (about NT$150), I picked up a near-mint copy of her American debut album, a compilation called “Dark Adaptive Eye”, which happened to be the very album discussed in the magazine article. Issued by Sire Records, it was her first major label release and her US introduction. It contains all of her previously released singles (originally released in the UK on her own independent label, Awesome Records), plus 10 of the 11 songs from her third album “Inky Bloaters”. As an introduction to this quirky and interesting artist, it is absolutely perfect.
Since I was on holiday, actually listening would have to wait. Back in Taiwan, I gave the record a thorough cleaning and dropped the needle, not knowing quite what to expect. (Favourite track: “Touch Piggy’s Eyes”.)
Describing her music is a bit of a challenge. It’s definitely guitar and keyboard pop with a healthy dose of distortion, but it leans towards the alternative end of the spectrum, managing to be both rock and pop while somehow sounding like neither. There’s a hint of surf guitar in some of the tracks, but with a poppier, more modern edge than anything you’d associate with the Ventures. The bass is clean and funky, the drums insistent, and the whole thing sounds surprisingly fresh despite being over 20 years old at the time of writing. Her lyrics are powerful, if unusual, and I was pleased to find that the inner sleeve included all of them.
Sufficiently enamoured, I went online to see what else she’d done. Disappointingly, she only ever made one other major label album, her fourth overall. “Blast the Human Flower” (Sire, 1990). A few years after that she released a 4-track EP in 1995, “Timber Tongue”, which I decided against after sampling the tracks and discovering they are all mostly ambient soundscapes. Not my cup of tea. That same year also saw a career-spanning CD-only compilation called “Non-Reaction: The Thwarted Pop Career of Danielle Dax”. The title alone should give you a sense of her humour.
Since returning to Taiwan, I’ve also tracked down her first two LPs. “Pop-Eyes” and “Jesus Egg That Wept”, which I managed to get as a buy-one-get-one-free deal on eBay. They’re interesting, but the tracks on “Dark Adaptive Eye” really do cover all the best bits. The tracks that didn’t make that compilation lean more towards experimental and non-music territory, which makes those two earlier albums somewhat superfluous if you already own it. I also decided against sourcing “Inky Bloaters” since 10 of its 11 tracks are already on “Dark Adaptive Eye”. Find yourself a copy of that one and you can safely skip the first three albums unless you’re a completist.
I’m currently spinning her final album of original material, “Blast the Human Flower”, so yes, clearly the L.A. discovery sent me down a rabbit hole! Honestly though, it’s good but not as strong as “Dark Adaptive Eye”, for obvious reasons. Sadly, it’s the only one currently available on Spotify. She’s a fascinating discovery!
#MusicBoxTW
