My Muse by Elephant Castle is the 4th single to debut from Phil Danyew and he’s no stranger to the For The Love Of Bands staff; we’ve reviewed his work favorably in the past. There’s always a bit of apprehension writing the sophomore review though. Danyew however is no newcomer to the music industry, he was a touring member of Foster The People, only to recently launch his own career in order to put his creative stamp on the industry.
He’s been at this music thing for quite a while, since childhood even. July 31st marked the date of single release, My Muse and it’s everything an alt. rock fan (or any rock fan) could hope for. Danyew creates music with retro stylings, throwback phased guitar and vintage key tones; it’s accessible to so many different listeners from different decades. It makes complete sense though, Danyew’s writing lets the listener know, he’s vested, he’s done his listening homework, studied the greats, done his due diligence.
His vocal production and gift of melody are a continuation of the Psychedelic Pop movement that so many of us adore. Elephant Castle’s performance, mix and production of, My Muse is a testament to predecessors of the thick, lush Abbey Road-type mixes of Jellyfish, The Rosewood Thieves and even Wings by nature. No expense spared when layering a mix like this. Its function is to whip the listener into headphone euphoria.
My Muse is grounded in a tasteful, well-crafted, song-serving drum track by Dan Bailey and a “flatwound”, Sir Paul-esque bass line. The stability of the song is so dependent on these performances. Danyew’s airy vocal delivery and creative lyricism with lines like “I know there’s magic in your DNA” are what keep this single on the fresh and au currant side of the today’s industry. He did in fact play in a powerhouse of a band prior to his current endeavor, so the stakes are high for Danyew.
Lucky for us, he has the goods to back up his art. Looking forward to when My Muse will come up in my playlists and what the future has in store for Elephant Castle.
Loving this! Keep creating!
Thanks for sharing, loved reading about this!
Thanks for the tip, I love some good headphone candy
This is amazing! Keep going!
This is really good!