The Daredevil Christopher Wright are trying to strike a curious balance. Named after a fictional daredevil who stars in one of their songs, their lighthearted image certainly chimes with the frivolity that occasionally takes over their music, all xylophones and chirpy vocals, but that only ever happens in spurts. Even the song for their mythical hero sounds more fragile than daring. These guys are much more serious than their press shot would have you believe.
Take “The Man Of Significance”, the fourth track off their new EP “The Longsuffering Song”. This haunting waltz is not what you’d expect from the hat-wearing jokers you see above. Where their harmonies often fit neatly in the Local Natives mould [or should that be the Fleet Foxes mould? Or should that be the Beach Boys mould? Suffice to say, the harmonies are pretty], the vocals on this lyricless track are altogether different, with the three guys sounding more like a church choir. Simple twee this ain’t.
That fact is borne out further by the lyrics to these songs. The Daredevil Christopher Wright push a brand of breezy yet intelligent wordplay that does just enough to make you pause for thought, or crack a smile, without ever bogging down their tunes. Take these snippets from “The Animal Of Choice”: “I’ll be a wolf and you’ll be a bear and we’ll bear our claws, ‘cos that’s our cross to bear…Maybe the animal of choice is the choice to be the animal.” Just as the whimsy of their image is something of an illusion, the illusion of profundity is what makes these tracks compelling.
For a taste of this indie-folk that sounds cleverer than it looks, download “The Animal Of Choice” and “The Man Of Significance” below, and hit the band’s website for details of future tours.
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The Daredevil Christopher Wright – ”The Animal Of Choice”
The Daredevil Christopher Wright – ”The Man Of Significance”
