Daniel Bachman Rock & Indie 3 Artikel

Simply stated, River is Bachman’s best album. Everything written previously by the critics about his albums applies once again with one change: he just got better. Unconventionally, it opens with the breathtaking and robust fourteen minute epic “Won’t You Cross Over To That Other Shore.” Proving his ability to write music that keeps the listener engaged (even across such a long tune), Bachman successfully uses tempo changes, varied picking patterns and melodic exploration, all without ever getting lost in pointless improvisation too far from the overall theme. Over the course of the last several years Daniel Bachman has stepped out of the shadow of influential solo guitarists past and present. River, the definitive document of his skill and talent, proves that Bachman is pushing the boundaries of solo acoustic guitar.

Guitarist and former wunderkind Daniel Bachman, at 26, can no longer be considered “precocious.” On even his earliest recordings Bachman’s guitar prowess and compositional voice were staggeringly mature. His growth has been continual and, frankly, amazing – the ultimate product of this growth, 2015’s River, showed a phenomenal level of maturity and, in turn, continued to convert faithful. His new (2016) self-titled album continues that staggering growth – in composition, sound, and technique – and offers a sort of trapped in amber glimpse of where he presently stands. It is a full and complete collection of truly engrossing songs that sees Bachman’s sonic arsenal expand to include elements of drone (generated by all acoustic instruments) and field recordings alongside his ever-present prowess and strength on the acoustic guitar. Daniel Bachman truly is one of modern guitar’s most dynamic performers. If you’re not with him now, his 2016 self-titled album seems to declare, you never were.