I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something about that voice.
Pennsylvania native Daughn Gibson has a style that tends to defy convenient descriptions. There have been a few attempts, like…country goth. Or was it goth-country? Just so you have a point of reference: There have been comparisons made to mid/late ’80s Stan Ridgway. It’s a tone kind of similar to Happy Planet, or everyone’s Wall of Voodoo go-to, The Ugly Americans in Australia. “I wish I was in/Tia-juana/Eating bar-buh-cued ee-gua-nah…”
Gibson released his second album this year, Me Moan. And, as on his debut All Hell, Gibson shows his knack for pairing the most unlikely arrangements and instrumentation, making it work in dementedly awesome ways. After all, you don’t always hear major synth and drum machine action alongside something like pedal steel. It’s another side – an unexpected facet – of Americana, the dark end of the spectrum with unique twists and turns. But the outstanding element is Gibson’s distinctive baritone delivery. The voice seems to match the dark and imposing 6’5″ Gibson frame. It’s a voice that’ll have you grinning madly at some parts, and at other times, raising the hair on the back of your neck.
Me Moan is a definite must-have. And make sure to catch Daughn Gibson at his show tonight at Red 7, 611 E. 7th St. Starting out the night is local rock quartet The Young. Doors open at 9 p.m. This one, friends, comes highly recommended.
