Danielson at Chop Suey A Few Nights Ago

Seattlest attended the Danielson show Tuesday at Chop Suey and we would have written about it sooner, but our newest contributor, Chris Hanger, came down with some "mysterious illness," so we are only getting around to posting it now. Quoth the Hanger:

Danielson took the stage around 11:30. The crowd steadily filed in from their twenty-minute smoke breaks. Ben Gibbard of Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie fame showed up following the opening band.

Seattlest had never heard Danielson before. Suffice it to say, the music we later heard was not what we first expected when the group, comprised mostly of Daniel Smith's siblings, walked out to set up their equipment, garbed in baby blue button-ups akin to a Love Boat staff uniform, complete with name badges and hearts sewn on the sleeve. Mr. Smith, baby-faced and still sporting the obligatory bowl-cut found on little kids throughout history, began his set by bantering nervously with audience members.

The music itself sounded unique and weird. Danielson's voice, a quivering falsetto, is reminiscent of Modest Mouse or Wolf Parade. It carried over the layers and complex arrangements of the band, blending the two to create a sound both unique and accessible. To his right, Daniel's two sisters (if they actually are, who knows) harmonized along with their brother, smiling all the while. On the left of the stage, a man identified only as "Adam" gesticulated wildly while he played the keyboard, singing along and sweating profusely from first song to last.

If unique is your flavor, Danielson is worth a taste. With his most recent album Ships, Daniel Smith has broadened his collaborations (Sufjan Stevens being the most noteworthy contributor), and is even releasing subsequent 7"s to accommodate the huge amount of material he put together that would not fit on the album. Check it out.

Photo courtesy of flickr user Dan Greeson.