(Shock)

Nephew of Paul continues his eccentric pop vision

It’s interesting that Dan Kelly is the nephew of Paul Kelly – not because they are both singer-songwriters, but because they are both complete opposites of each other when it comes to penning a tune. Not that Paul Kelly is a humourless writer (far from it), but Dan uses humour and quirky observation as his bread and butter, as opposed to Paul’s earnest character studies. This is none-more-evident than on his new album Dan Kelly’s Dream, which gets the balance of humour and solid songwriting just right. The lyrics aren’t so ‘wacky’ as to overshadow the value of the tunes. At a recent gig, he even self-deprecatingly described daffy sing-along Bindi Irwin Apocalypse Jam as “the stupidest song I’ve ever written” – it’s to his (and the audience’s) benefit that it’s also accompanied by a classically winning pop hook. Other highlights include the jaunty shuffle Read All About It In The Catholic Leader, the uncharacteristically psychedelic Hold On I’m Coming On and his “fun apocalypse song” Dan Kelly’s Dream (perhaps one of the only songs to claim both Schapelle Corby and Stereolab as influences).

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MATT THROWER

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