EMKOG SAMPLER

Anyone who has listened to the music of Dan Britton knows that he is an artist to be watched. Anyone who has bothered to read/listen any of Dan's musings, on his websites or the interview on this website or elsewhere, knows that he has a creative spirit that is pretty much boundless.

This sampler serves as an introduction to his music, featuring both music from his past albums and some from future albums. Featuring two Deluge Grander tracks (one from each already released album), three Birds and and Buildings tracks (two from Bantam to Behemoth, which is my favorite release by Dan thus far, and one from the yet-unreleased Multi-Purpose Trap), one track form Cerberus Effect, and two from his new band, All Over Everywhere, this album is a pretty good sample of all that Dan has been up to for the last five years. It also serves as a pretty good "Greatest Hits" piece, putting together some of the best pieces from his previously released albums and his yet-to-be-released material.

For the faithful who have already acquired any of the albums that some of these tracks are released from, this release is still of interest. Many of the tracks have been remastered, and to my ears anyways, they have some additional clarity that the original albums lacked. Unfortunately, the newer tracks are still a bit muddy (especially the All Over Everywhere tracks, where the vocals seem to be mixed really low. But these are probably early versions). As a listener, I appreciate Dan's DIY attitude but I do hope that, given more time, he gets somewhat better at production - the music is too good and too detailed to let production flaws get in the way.

This album isn't quite perfect. While I would argue that there isn't a bad track on it, the "Blob" at the end (which I tend to think of as a bonus track) does feel like a Blob at times. It is interesting, for sure, but compared to the eight tracks that precede it, it isn't near as focussed, obviously. I think the Blob will actually grow more interesting as the various pieces in it are developed, fleshed out and relased, and it actually becomes a reference point to where they started.

For fans of Birds and Buildings, the early version of "Miracle Pigeon" will be a particular treat. It is a song about a super-hero pigeon, and is definitely a good sign that Multipurpose Trap should be just as good as Bantam to Behemoth. The All Over Everywhere tracks are interesting as well, although this compilation was released not long before the intended release date of the album they will be from.

Overall, this album both hints at future works, gives a nice update to some previously existing tracks, and serves as an excellent introduction to the various bands of musical mastermind Dan Britton.