Daniel Johnston
Songs of Pain

THE REVIEW

A piano, an organ, and a tape recorder are the only tools to express the first "songs of suffering". Absurd, entertaining, melancholic, sad melodies that seem to come from an old, half-broken, dusty radio locked away in a forgotten basement. Few might be interested in such an object; not many care if this contraption still works or have the fortune to experience what is, the music of Daniel Johnston.

The genius of Sacramento's "low fidelity" translates his love disappointment (for a certain Laurie), his loneliness, his anxieties into a series of memorable works, starting with this cassette recorded in 1981.

The 20 songs of the album are nothing but timid and small twinkling stars in a silent night, distinguished by Johnston's passion for melody, the most direct and sincere form to express feelings. An album to listen to in the dark, simple and timeless music, as it is far removed from other genres of the '80s, avant-garde in its essentiality and simplicity. Daniel's sincere and almost childlike voice could provide the soundtrack to an old black and white film or some animated cartoon where the drawings and writings of his covers come to life.

Comics of Captain America and the Beatles were his great passions, and his art seems to mix these cultures, such graphic animation and '60s melody, a blend that absurdly and artistically recreates itself in the listener's mind. An atmosphere, contrasted with the experiences and references of his life, that never falls into being pathetic.

Several tracks like "Grievances" and "Never Relaxed" could be radio pop masterpieces if produced differently, but they are nothing more than gems of the ultimate Lo-Fi songwriter, "A Little Story" is a depiction of his religious anxiety, while "Joy Without Pleasure" of his love disappointment. "Songs of Pain" represents the mindset and attitude of a true artist, a reference point and symbol of a certain way of making music in the years following the recording of this tape.