Devil Take My Soul: the music of Son of Dave

'Always talk about the money, always talk about the honey, baby, all my brothers say, what's your name?...Devil take my soul, if he want it, bring you back to me, for just one more night...'

It’s a rare event these days that having heard a song on a radio station, I scramble through drawers and shelves looking for a pen to write down the name of that song and the artist who sang it.

Rarer still that I go online the following morning and order the album. And, I assure you, it is even rarer than that the album doesn’t turn out to be a pile of over-rated, disappointing cack.

'Fallen off my stool here...'

But bizarrely enough, this is exactly what happened just this week when I heard a track by ‘Son of Dave’ this Sunday last and promptly snapped the album ‘O2’ up. And it is superb. Blindingly, fantastically wonderful.

Son of Dave is Ben Darvell, a one-man whirlwind of musical oddity – screeching guitar hooks, snarling harmonicas, stomping feet, human beat-box grooves, a killer line in beautiful melodies, shimmering sound effects and a delightfully impish sense of humour. At times reminiscent of Matt Johnson’s The The, with shades of Tom Waits and Robbie Roberstson, Son of Dave are going to be huge. Or, at least if there is any justice in this cosmos of ours, they will be.

'Life is so easy now...'

Keep an ear out for the anthemic ‘Life is so easy now’ which is picking up some airplay in the U.K. – the potential sound of a summer if ever I heard it.

This is the most unique, exciting album that I’ve heard in a very long time. Fuck the boy bands. Fuck Louis Walsh and fuck Chico. Get out and buy some real music. Starting with Son of Dave.

'So sorry, I sold out...'

Son of Dave - for info, tour dates and Mp3 samples

Ben Darvell Bio

Buy the album (U.K.)

Buy the album (U.S.)

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