Dan Bee: Coffee and Other Caffeinated Delights review

Setting forth with a deep set sense of passion and belief, Dan Bee is a musician who refuses to conform to the conventions normally set forth by the music industry, not caring what guitar he plays to write and record his music or immersing himself in technical skill, and instead, writing music that is the expression of his emotions. After a tumultuous start to life, the reclusiveness of his life soon offered up the idea of making music, with Dan locking himself in his room simply playing guitar and allowing his emotions to flow out musically. Now primed with an 18 track album, Coffee And Other Caffeinated Delights, Dan Bee has created something that’s already been referred to as “an 18 song collection that only a mad scientist could create…with each song having it’s own unique signature and story that is sometimes quirky, sometimes dark.” – which leads to one inevitable question – what’s the music like? Strikingly, as Coffee launches the album into being the listener is propelled into a world of classic style rock music, with deep heavy bass rhythms flowing behind the scenes, sludgy guitar licks driving the track forwards, and the vocals from Dan grabbing the listener by the ears and pulling them into the mix. Packed with catchy hooks, the opening moments of the album certainly get things moving at a solid rate, setting the bar high for what is to follow. Continuing the approach into When Pigs Fly, the sludgy and bass heavy grooves continue to abound, sounding like a strange mix of post grunge combined with classic rock, somehow combining the two and making it work with aplomb. Progressing through the album it’s impossible to resist the accomplishment that Dan Bee has achieved here, with tracks such as I Hope You Die summarizing his feelings of that moment in musical form and showing that sometimes, music can indeed be the best possible outlet. Other key moments that stand out are the softer Set It Free – a track that doesn’t follow convention but instead carves its own path through things, the chunky and in your face 13 Fingers – a personal favourite of mine from the album due to the straight up grunge roots that become apparent as it progresses, and Self Destructive Blues – a more out there track which harks towards progressive rock in some ways, whilst still managing to offer up a catchy and in your face style sound that’s sure to connect with fans of all sorts of genres. With 18 tracks straight out of the inner workings of Dan Bee’s mind, Coffee And Other Caffeinated Delights is an album that’s sure to get you sitting back, keep you listening, and have you returning for more time and time again. It may not follow convention, but  it’s damned good to hear. Rating: 8.5/10 Words: Dave Nicholls