Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of “Wow to the Deadness,” a new song by a new band of sorts—Steve Taylor & the Danielson Foil.
It's actually a one-time collaboration between Steve Taylor & the Perfect Foil and Danielson. Their new EP, also titled Wow to the Deadness, will be released February 5.
Wow to the Deadness, which was recorded by Steve Albini, applies scalding punk rage to delightfully cockeyed song structures, making for a half-dozen songs that don’t have many clear musical parallels. It’s Magazine covering the Godspell soundtrack or the Buzzcocks trading verses with the Free Design.
“Dan Smith just put together this ad hoc band with a singer named Steve Taylor,” Albini said. “They play this really rowdy punk rock. And that record is fucked-up and great. I didn’t expect that kind of music out of them, and I certainly didn’t expect it to be as awesome as it was. I was expecting it to be charming or interesting, but it ended up being really raucous and really great.”
"I’ve always admired the Danielson aesthetic and was curious to see if we could find any overlap," Taylor added. "I think the rest of the band was initially amused at this guy performing inside a tree, but they responded strongly to the musical sophistication of Daniel’s set each night, and the overlap came from all of us becoming really good friends.
"So when it came time to collaborate, our only rule was, 'If it sounds like something we’ve already done, we throw it out.' And we ended up with something that’s not easily classifiable and hopefully doesn’t sound disposable."
"[This new single] gives me instant joy and makes me want to dance in my car. Daniel wrote most of the lyrics, and while I don’t exactly know what they say, I know exactly what they mean."
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When asked to describe the EP, Smith said it rocks, "but it also moves around a bunch. It can be delicate but it’s rare. It mostly demands much, but it’s very inclusive and would really appreciate some singing and clapping along.
"Steve Taylor is an orchestrator, a gatherer, an environment builder as much as a time tested vocal and lyric champion. He and the Perfect Foil already have a great thing going, but yet they brought me in with open arms. Why? What to do? Well, we'd better write some songs and fast because we have a session booked in Chicago really soon. You know these tunes should rock. Steve’s voice rocks like no other. It would be so great to sing along with him. Hey Peter, here’s some ideas and i’m loving those things you came up with. John and Jimmy, this sounds amazing. Steve, here’s some music ideas, you got lyrics? Great, oh you want me to write lyrics too? Hmmm, i’ll finish this last one on the plane to the studio."
Stay tuned for more new music and the announcement of a North American tour this winter.
For more about Steve Taylor & the Perfect Foil, follow them on Facebook.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
