Daylight Sheik
Published September 12, 2002
I cannot get these lines out of my mind. They have struck a chord and allow me to laugh off frustrations. Duncan Sheik sings them in Good Morning "who needs to join the circus/come on, just look around/we are surrounded/by a bunch of f**king clowns"
Advertising works. Free music works. I use Musicmatch Jukebox to listen to music on my computer. It does a great job of producing MP3s and allowing CD burning. Musicmatch also has a radio feature. Last month I noticed that a particular radio feature - 'featured stations'. The Coldplay CD - A Rush of Blood to the Head - was available for listening for a couple of weeks. After listening multiple times, I decided to buy the CD - an excellent decision.
As Coldplay cycled off the 'featured stations', several new CDs became available for 'previewing'. I tried Nickelback (reasonable but not worth buying), Natalie Cole (not exactly), and Duncan Sheik.
I remember the first time I heard Daylight by Duncan Sheik (I confess that I had never heard of him before), I was not really impressed. Why I continued to listen still puzzles me. For whatever reason, I listened to him for a couple of days. After a few listenings, the melodies started to stick in my head. We all have the phenomenon of discovering an artist and a CD and obsessing over some songs. That stage grabbed me.
Then I started to appreciate the lyrics and how they fit the music. While not a huge poetry fan (I clearly prefer prose), I do appreciate a good phrase or a nice way of expressing a feeling.
Duncan Sheik in Daylight has written some great songs. The music is 'adult alternative pop rock' - whatever the hell that means. Some of the songs recall John Mayer. One song reminds me of Sting. A couple have a soft psychedelic feel. But I find the lyrics the key to my attraction.
- from Genius 'Clearly I'm a genius/If she only knew it/but somewhere in her radius/I really blew it'
- from On Her Mind 'She's wearing the tee-shirt/of a band I really like/maybe that's coincidence/maybe that's alright'
- from Memento 'how can you hold a soul?/you just can't hold a soul/that shines like gold/she shines like gold'
- from Good Morning 'who needs to join the circus/come on, just look around/we are surrounded/by a bunch of f**king clowns'
If you like adult male singer songwriters, you should give this CD a try. I have introduced several friends to this CD this week, and they have all thanked me. I think it is worth a try.
- Daylight Sheik
- Published: September 12, 2002
- Type:
- Section: Music: Alternative Rock
- Filed Under: Music: Pop
- Writer: Robert M. Centor
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- Robert M. Centor's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
I'll admit to my bias having been a Sheik fan since 1996. His music is amazing - not all of it of course, his albums do feature the odd lousy song too :-) Like the very astute review above says, if you're looking for rock with a bit o' depth, with quietly intense or passionate lyrics, you can't go wrong with Duncan Sheik.
Cheers
JJ
The Ultimate DS FAQ - http://welcome.to/sheik
His other albums are good too. I especially like "Humming." And don't be afraid to check him out in concert. He tours with some really great musicians. His guitarist is amazing.
Yep. I'm a real music nerd. I know all sorts of music from all over the world. I've got cultivated taste and am even a musician myself. So I know Duncan Sheik is kind of off the radar on the scale of excellent, exquisite, or deeply meaningful music, but WHO CARES! I've got the songs running through my head too! It's spring, and the sun is coming out and the sound of the album is great. Love the guitar work and a lot of the piano too (especially on the ring song). His voice is clear and strong and he enunciates perfectly. He's cute.
I too bought this album and said, "Okay, whatever." But I uncovered it and haven't been able to stop listening to it. I've got a crush on someone right now, and this album is the perfect soundtrack for my sidetrack.
Hate the "magazines" song, but damn if I don't listen to it anyway.
Have fun!
I have been a fan of Duncan since his first record came out and have to say that Daylight is different then his other records. Not that that is bad, because it is a great record. His others are more mellow then this, but some of the mellow stuff is amazing. When I play the first two (self titled and Humming, respectively) I can't stop at just time through. The repeat button is used all the time. I just got Daylight and after 1 listen, have a strong feeling this will get the same treatment. Duncan Sheik is an incredible singer/songwriter and is VERY underated. If you are on the fence about this record, or don't know Duncan Sheik, don't be afraid to get Daylight and give it a listen or 12. You will not be disappointed, AT ALL. I promise.
Having been a long time fan of Duncan, I recently had the opportunity to see him live in a small venue of about 400 seats, of which only 150 or so were filled. This suprised both me and my wife. He is an amazing musician. It's hard to compare him to anyone else because he's so unique. His music is complex, heartfelt and beautiful. When I was a teen, I loved Morrisey and The Smiths, now as a 32yr old adult, it's Duncan Sheik. We also had the opportunity to meet him that evening and get an autograph on the "White Limo" EP. He is so shy, polite and you can tell that there's a wonderful person inside- although I'm sure most of us suspected that. Cheers. And Duncan, keep it coming.
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It is nice to hear something about Duncan that isn't trashing him. In the music world, the artists who care more about their music and less about the almighty dollar are few and far between. If you should get the chance to see Duncan in concert, I would definitely do so. I had the chance to see him in Austin, Texas in a fairly intimate venue. There wasn't a bad seat in the house. Duncan and his sidekick Gerry were the only ones on the stage and they sat on stools and joked around with the audience. After the show, Duncan stuck around and signed numerous autographs with NO security. He also took the time to personalize the autographs. I realize he isn't a popular artist, but to see how he is around his fans turned me into a fan. I will never forget that show. He ROCKS! Thanks for the kind words.