STONER MAGAZINE says, "Mr Darda, whose previous production credits include sound engineer on Snow Patrol’s limited US release “Live and Acoustic at Park Avenue”, clearly knows his way around the mixing desk, this fact is evident throughout the album. It all has a bit of a ‘home-grown’ feel, thanks in part to the fact that Scott who writes, performs, engineers AND produces the whole thing, has left snippets of chat between takes rather than edit them out, and uses these on occasion to link to the next song
“Embriotic Vagrant Blues” features a guitar and harmonica driven melody but also includes whistles, kazoos, zips and even an electric drill. This is a theme that continues and songs such as “Dr Say What” which clocks in at 1.12 minutes of trippy carnival organ with only Scott’s “Take Drugs” lyrics repeated at various pitches, and then the soundscape that is “Love in Reverse” tipping the other end of the scales at almost 8 minutes, the first of which is played backwards, and then fades into an arrangement which wouldn’t sound too out of place accompanying an ‘/Alfred Hitchcock film.
Despite all of the sonic wizardry, it’s really on stripped down tunes such as the very Dylan-esque “Somethin’ New” with its strummed guitar, harmonica and the lyrics “She peels, she shakes, she snaps, she breaks, she takes my breath away…When the sky turns blue, She turns into somethin’ new,” “Recital For Abigail” and “Epilogue” which allow Scott to shine, these are really the albums stand out tracks.
The finale which combines “Do Your Ears Hang Low!” with some razor-sharp lyrics and a ‘Green Day’ style chorus, wraps up a pretty interesting experimental sound. All in all it’s a good listen, although you can’t help but feel that all of the effects have a tendency to make the album sound just a bit too cluttered at times; while this works very well on some of the trippier tunes, it’s just not necessary on others. That said anyone who likes a bit of Bob, or are fans of the more experimental genres on the look out for somethin’ new (no pun intended!), could do a lot worse than checking this out.
"
SING OUT! - "Scott Darda, a original singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist..."
LEO WEEKLY – “Anything goes for… Hoosier folkie Scott Darda.”
PHAROS TRIBUNE - “Scott Darda of Winamac entertains…”
Tom Halletts "Around the Dial" in Minneapolis: "slap-happy harmonica and... slinging out a Jonathon Richman-meets-Ween vibe via muted acoustic guitar and half-shouted, half-whispered mystical lyrics that bring to mind an old-fashioned back-porch hootenanny"
MUSIC CONNECTION says
: "Darda is a pure artist whose eclectic anything-goes album explodes with passion for everything from trad tunes like “Turkey in The Straw,” to folkie Dylan, psychedelia, circus music, and more, but he does it in a way that is always entertaining, never clichéd. Bolstered by lyrics that question our social and political lives, Darda’s pastiche goes beyond surface effects. Proudly non-commercial, possessed of a clever wit, this Indiana native’s self-produced opus achieves a ragged glory that White Stripes fans could embrace."
BABBLE AND BEAT says:
"If Ridgemont High's Spicoli had aspired to be his version of, let's say, a Billy Bragg-like musician, he may have sounded a bit like Scott Darda....
For example, take the song 'SIWTIWARSIWHTGTTB', aka 'Sometimes I Wish That I Was A Robot So I Wouldn't Have To Go To The Bathroom'. You need to listen to this song all the way through, whether for pure amusement or just a good head scratch."
ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER says:
"Scott Darda spends … time with his … overzealous …personality, and the results …with the marching bass drum protruding from …sounds as such … circus-styled … channels … turns the traditional “Turkey …” into a …anti-government tir-ade."
Darda’s songs are two-faced dichotomies combining unique and uplifting up-beat melodies with often-times romantically dark and vividly gloomy psychedelic poetry. “I’d say I’m a song farmer. My songs aren’t just pen and paper, because I plant the seeds, tend the crop, and gently extract each fruit for consumption.” Such as a mad scientist, Darda spends plenty of quality time in his studio. With a degree in Recording Arts, he adds ticks, twirls, screams, swirls, backwards accordions, and radio fuzz to some of his more abstract pieces.
""""FAKE FRIENDS: Will ignore this Send this 2 at least 5 ppl including me if u care 4 me!!! .
...oooO............... .....(....)................ ......)../....Oooo..... .....(_/.....(...)........ ..............(_/......... ........................... ......oooO............... .....(....)................ ......)../....Oooo..... .....(_/.....(....)....... ...............)../........ ..............(_/......... ........................... ......oooO............... .....(....)................ ......)../....Oooo..... .....(_/.....(....)....... ...............)../........ ..............(_/......... ........................... ... I WAS ............. .......... HERE ...... ..Leaving my ....... Footprints in your ..............SAND"
If you wake up in a red room with no windows and doors, DON'T panic.. you're just in my heart!!! Send this to all the friends you want to keep forever...
Send this to all of your friends, and me if I am one. If you get 7 back you are LOVED!!! Here are the numbers of what kind of friend you are based on how many you get back..
1-3 ~ you're a bad friend 4-6 ~ you're an okay friend 7-9 ~ you're a good friend 10+ ~ you're great friend""
I'm gearing up to move across town and set up a space to record in a sweet basement. In a couple months, I'm going to record my first LP. Maybe we can collaborate over the wonders of the internet.
in other news, I'm posting a lot of my poetry on this all-poetry blog of mine:
Scott! Whats up my man? This is james just checking in from IN. How's Nah'lins treating ya? Hope all is well. I'm digging some of the new tunes you put up.
If you get time sometime this year you should play at New College again!!! I think that would be amazing to have a Scott Darda show down here. And then maybe we could also convince JoAnna to come down here.
![elliebeth [wtf]](http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/86/s_1e9ae0c506af40e69dad5d84c7847580.jpg)
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