Despite The Crushing Odds: Dragon/Magicorn
Posted by: steve | From: July 20, 2004
Seems like the world has gone fantasy crazy. Oh, you know, you got your Lords on the Rings and your good old Harold Potters with their fantastical creatures and their heros and villians and you know, like magic and stuff. I actually know very little about it. I'm not really a fan of the fantasy genre of books and movies. I've never been enchanted by wizards or scared by dragons (I did once had a great affinity for the great half real action/half animated Disney classic Pete's Dragon). Meanwhile, I have quite enjoyed the funny ha ha fantasy aesthetic of such bands like Surface of Eceyon. In the context of a band like Surface of Eceyon the fantasy element is much easier to digest because they are a mostly instrumental deep psych jam style band and it just fits in with the vibe. While listening to the music you aren't hit over the head with the fantasy vibe. Now, on the other hand, you have a band like Dragon, which is the solo project for Dick Baldwin, member of Landing and Surface of Eceyon. Dragon is a folk pop band with just a touch of psych or maybe it's better to call Dragon a song cycle and not a band. Dragon brings the fantasy full on.
You see the only release under the Dragon name to the right here. Each of the edition of 120 or so of the Dragon CD were hand stitched by Dick Baldwin and it really feels like an amazingly intimate package. Dragon is a 5 song, 9 minute CD telling the story of a Dragon and and his wrath upon a Kingdom. You hear things from the viewpoint of the villagers, the dragon, a brave warrior, and a narrator. The songs, beautiful and simple, reminds me of Daniel Johnston. Baldwin's soft voice sincerely speaking of these events is so pleasing and it feels so fresh. Dragon is done with an amazing amount of sincerity, and Baldwin is putting himself "out there" to an extent which is rare these days.
The Dragon legacy continues on with a new song cycle entitled Magicorn. Magicorn is about a failed wizard who happens upon a unicorn who is brimming with magical powers. The story, much like Dragon, ends tragically. Baldwin injects these mythical creatures with a great deal of dignity, and sadness that makes these simple songs which tell simple stories feel so important to me. I saw Dragon perform last night for the first time, and it really made my year. Dick described the stories between the songs and had an audience filled with cynical rock'n'rollers rapt in attention as he sang from a Dragon's viewpoint, "As I swoop down toward the small village, people run and houses burn. What I'd give for one fine night to dance and drink with them. A taste of love would fill my heart. But instead I must kill." I hear that Baldwin will create two more song cycles in the series based on mythical creatures. It really seems amazing to me, as I said before dragons and potions and clerics are not my cup of tea, but, "despite the crushing odds," (from "Fallen" on Dragon) Dragon (and Magicorn) are The Greatest Band of All Time.
Dragon is exclusively availale at Yarn Lazer.
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