Besides Daniel’s Heartfelt Folk Takes Us in [stream]

Last year I read a write-up accompanying a La Blogotheque session with Perfume Genius that stuck with me — “When an artist is heartfelt and when their music is served up, in earnest, when all you know of this artist is the conviction with which they express their inner selves through their medium, to meet them face-to-face can be an intimidating moment.” Such is how I feel about Besides Daniel’s This Marvelous Grief.

Atlanta’s Besides Daniel is the sound of a guy, Daniel Brewer, wrestling with powerful emotional elements of life like forgiveness, loss, and love. Warm, whispered vocals emanate from one who is journey-wearied, but wisened, not defeated. Sometimes reminiscent of Sam Beam’s whiskey-soft voice and poetic folk musings, Brewer shapes his acoustic melodies and earnest arrangements into profound confessional art – a testament to how deeply our relationships truly affect us.

Brewer’s processing culminates in apologetic yet hopeful yearning for revival when he sings, “I’ll stop hiding monsters up under my bed, babe, I’ve been so destructive with these words that I’ve said. So I’ll learn a new language, and I’ll sing a new song, something so happy we forget all that’s wrong…”

This Marvelous Grief makes for a beautiful, meaningful listen and leaves one feeling both grateful for and somewhat intimidated by Brewer’s heartfelt vulnerability and raw talent. Listen to a track from the record, above, but save its entirety for a rainy day inside.