Source: Album Artwork
Although we’ve haven’t even reached the second month of 2017 yet, Dave Hause may just have released an album full of this year’s perfect summer anthems in his third full-length album Bury Me In Philly.
There’s a lot to love about Bury Me In Philly, and not too much to hate. The whole album is full of vocals clean enough to eat your dinner off, with very catchy guitar riffs and low drums and basslines which top it all off very nicely. An accordion and a harmonica even make an appearance, and are put to very effective use. The depth of Dave’s song writing talent really shines through this album, and his clear, relatable lyrics are a staple of his music. There will be at least one song on Bury Me In Philly that everyone will connect with on some level.
Even just listening to the album, the singalong factor is clear. The vocal harmonies layered over one another in ‘Shaky Jesus’ are just crying out to be sung by fans at the top of their voices at live performances. The album’s ballad ‘Wild Love’ almost makes you want to get your lighter out and gently sway even if you’re sat on your own at home. The atmosphere of the album is all so emotional, you can’t help but feel involved in the songs.
There’s somewhat of a retro feel about this album. Maybe it’s the fast paced, yet relatively stripped down guitar riffs paired alongside clean vocals which give some songs a very vintage rock’n’roll vibe. It shows the true talent of Dave Hause that he can use such a classic style of music, whilst making the songs still sound fresh and unique.
Bury Me In Philly is very inoffensive, and most of the songs are ripe for radio-play (less a few naughty words; see ‘Dirty Fucker’) and this makes them widely accessible to music fans. Sure, there may be a few metal fans who would turn their noses up at a relatively gentle album, but it would be difficult not to find something on this album to like. The faster-paced, more punky songs, such as ‘The Mermaid’ and title track ‘Bury Me In Philly’ have a fun, different sound to them, and would probably silence anyone claiming that the album has a lack of variety.
As well as having a bit of a 50s vibe to some of the songs, there are clear 90s grunge influences on the album. One place where this is particularly manifested is at the very end of ‘The Flinch’ which is a very good song… until the dreaded fade-out. Some things were left in the past for a very good reason. The fade-out is absolutely one of those things. Ew.
Okay, so there’s nothing necessarily ground-breaking or sensational about Bury Me In Philly, but maybe an album doesn’t always have to be ground-breaking or sensational to be great. Dave Hause is an extremely talented musician and songwriter, and Bury Me In Philly is the perfect, feel-good (for the most part) summer road-trip album. So what if it doesn’t redefine genres? Bury Me In Philly is damn good and in the end, that’s all that really matters.
