Indie Piano Dance Rock
Sometimes, in life, you take a step back and stare at the panoramic view that is your entire life’s work and decide to make some drastic changes. Daniel Ferraro did just that. Working for Goldman Sachs just wasn’t cutting it for him, and after five years of working for the mega-corporation and his inability to stop the visions of fully fleshed-out songs that took up his mental space, he decided to pursue music full-time. Just Walden formed with Aaron Eichenseer on bass/guitar, Taylor Eichenseer on percussion/guitar, Danny Ferraro on vocals/piano/synths/guitar and Alex Margolia on percussion/synths. This Austin-based indie piano rock band take influences from Ringo Deathstarr, DiscoDustLA, Suuns, Vampire Weekend and Future Islands. Their debut High Street Barton Blues is a mix of ballad, dance and soul to spare.
“Marrow of Life” is a dancey piano rock tune that makes you want to move. The meaning of this life seems to be to have a good time. It’s an instrumental track, but it gets the job done. “Romie Knows” is their triumphant lead single. Ferraro sings, “I don’t know what the hell you’re on / I just want to stay for one more song,” throwing caution to the wind and seizing the day for a girl. This album celebrates risks and passion, and stands up to the challenges of daily life, like Ferraro did. “Space Cadet” takes a page out of the Bowie handbook with echoey vocals, time signature changes, genre hopping and an intro that sounds like you’re in a rocket ship going through space at hyperspeed, making the song a pure delight.
“Hangman” is an introspective ballad with soft acoustic guitars carrying the song, a crisp falsetto and reversed guitar effects. “Lost Friends” is a springtime tune with a splash of Americana and country influence. The song is for those lazy sunsets out in the desert when you’re all alone just because you want to be. Just Walden take notes from classic artists like the Beatles, David Bowie and Fleetwood Mac. Ferraro’s piano cradles each song like a newborn baby. Some songs like “Full Body Tattoo” have that coffee shop quartet feel.
“Viviana Blue” sounds like what would be playing in an intensely emotional scene in some coming-of-age movie. “Lost Friends Part II” feels like what would be playing in a smoky jazz lounge as the lights get dimmer and dimmer. Indie bands typically miss their mark when carving a niche for themselves. Just Walden just is. At times they sound like straight-up pop, and at other times they sound experimentally psychedelic, which is their charm.
All in all, High Street Barton Blues does a fine job of incorporating sweet and melancholic piano music with upbeat and intense dance vibe. Just Walden is indie in every sense of the word, which is what makes them special. From not so humble beginnings, Ferraro ditched his cozy job to find something more fulfilling. Maybe it was Henry David Thoreau calling out to him or the incessant melodies he kept hearing in his head, but whatever it was, everyone’s sure glad he chose to listen to his heart.
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