Daughn Gibson - All Hell

When I first heard the singles from Daughn Gibson's All Hell earlier this year, I wrote it off as too derivative--why wouldn't I just listen to Johnny Cash, I thought.

Oh, younger me. You were so stupid.

All Hell is a hell of an LP. With a voice alternating between Johnny Cash and dude from Merchandise, Gibson puts a modern twist on a timeless sound. (I know that the previous eight words can be used to describe just about every good record this year, but that doesn't make it any less impressive. It's a sign of the times, really. I'm gonna reserve the rest of this thought for a later date)

So, after being so impressed with this album, I began to wonder why I didn't like Gibson initially. He's signed to a label I love, has gotten patted on the back from all of my favorite tastemakers, and even has a great origin story. How could this happen? I have three theories:

1) Sometimes in my musical life, I need a primer. King Dude was the perfect primer for Daughn Gibson. Previously disregarded as too derivative, I listened to Gibson's All Hell with a completely new perspective after listening to Love earlier tonight.

2) Timing is everything. Maybe when I heard some tracks earlier this year, the stars weren't aligned, my chi wasn't centered, I hadn't gotten laid recently, I just wasn't ready for it.

3) The wrong first song.  I have completely written off albums--nay!--musical careers, because the first song I heard left a sour taste in my mouth. In this instance, I believe it was "Rain on the Highway" which, while is great as a part of the album, left me thinking his style was going to be redundant and derivative. Dumb.

Check out "Lookin' Back on '99",which beats out every Chromatics track for my selection of what will soundtrack a montage at the the end of a heist movie when the characters have split up and are trying to elude the police.