ANDY D PRESENTS THE WEEKEND - SONGS IN THE KEY OF MAGIC

As many of you already know, I discovered Andy D when he performed on 'It Gets Hot' by Electric Six and met him when he opened for them during the "Heartbeats And Brainwaves Tour".  I'd already seen him perform on Youtube clips and I was excited to see more of him.  Andy is a dynamic live performer and a genuinely nice guy.  I enjoyed chatting with him and spending time at the show.  I bought his first and second albums at that concert and I felt like the first disc, "Name Your Perversion" didn't quite translate from the live performance to the disc.  But I had great hopes for this album and I wasn't disappointed.  This disc certainly conveys the energy he projects during a live performance.

I don't think it will come as a surprise that most of his songs are sophomoric and over-sexualized.  Sometimes he comes across like a teen boy who's just discovered sex and his lyrics come across as rather trivial.  But that's more or less where Andy D lives.  He's not here to change the world or make a political statement, he's here to party and have a good time.  Once again, the instrumentation is quite minimalist and the lyrics simple and straight forward.  The first song, 'Playground' is an interesting song about oral sex of various kinds.  Um, wow.  'Electric Wilderness' is next and it's got a few funny lines throughout.  It's a pretty good song.  I like the music on this track and I think he delivers on the vocals.  On my CD, Andy wrote "Your magic is real and I believe in you!"  Imagine my surprise when I heard that line appear in the song.  I'm gonna go out on a limb here and tell you, that autograph actually personalized this song for me and made me listen to it constantly.  It's one of my favorite tracks on the disc!  'Hey Tina (Pick Up The Phone)' was probably the track I remember most from his live show.  It was highly dramatic.  And he delivers it here with just as much enthusiasm.  When you actually listen to song you realize the music is actually inspired and borrows elements from George Clinton and his 70's bands like Funkadelic and Parlet.  It's actually quite funky and enjoyable.  If you don't listen to anything else, check out this number.  

'Angels On The Dancefloor' is a song that doesn't offer much musically, yet I love the lyrics on this one.  It makes me laugh everytime and I listen to it a lot.  'Wizard' kicks in with some interesting sounds, but when the tinkling keyboards kick in, it starts to sound like early 80's rap.  Still, it's cool for what it is.  Andy does have an affinity for that older rap and he emulates it with his own material.  'I Wanna Be Your Unicorn' combines some rock metal guitar licks with some funk rhythm guitar.  It's a metaphor.  His horn is of course his "you-know-what" but the tune is catchy.  'Bump In The Nite' is Andy's Halloween single.  Of course, the four letter words strung throughout the chorus means it will never see playtime at kids parties.  If it could, this might have been a breakthrough hit for him.  

'Moderne Romance' is up next and this one uses lots of drum fills and beats to create a frantic pace.  'Alchemy Of The D' is the obligatory "I'm-all-that" track.  Andy proclaims his superiority in many different ways.  'Black Rainbow' is another song with that's highly Clintonesque.  It's got a 70's funk vibe and I like the chorus.  The final track is 'Ragnarock (Viking Lover)'.  This one kinda marches on with a guitar lick playing along with the beat, but it's mixed low in the track.  Based on the title, you'd expect something huge and climactic, but it never achieves that build.

In the end, this is a CD that at the very least lives up to the live performance of this artist.  The live show is unbeatable.  I think it's vastly superior to the previous disc and I'm looking forward to hearing even more.  Andy D is a fun listen.  My final words:  AN IMPROVEMENT WITH THE PROMISE OF EVEN MORE TO COME.

ANDY D PRESENTS THE WEEKEND - SONGS IN THE KEY OF MAGIC
01. Playground
02. Electric Wilderness
03. Hey Tina (Pick Up The Phone)
04. Angels On The Dancefloor
05. Wizard
06. I Wanna Be Your Unicorn
07. Bump In The Nite
08. Moderne Romance
09. Alchemy Of The D
10. Black Rainbow
11. Ragnarock (Viking Lover)