Innovative artist and legend within the West Midlands, Andy Edwards‘ music is one of those rare finds that takes you into another realm of optimism, reassurance and guidance. A sort of guiding light within these dark times we’re going through, you could say his latest release is a sort of healer and escapism for Andy. Titled ‘Daemon‘, the four-track album is progressive, experimental and exceeds any sort of expectation you’d expect from Andy up until this point.
“The Anxiety Daemon” rushes into your life after being left on the shelf for a long time. With the albums main theme exploring uncommon ground and learning to accept your imperfections, Andy had this to say, “People talk about inner demons. This album is about summoning them. But not demons in the modern, Christian sense. This album is about summoning your inner Daemon.” The first track on the album is fused with a funk style production mixed with one hell of a bass line.
One thing that Andy loves doing is not limiting himself to one sound. Crossing through, what sounds like, every genre under the sun, there’s even fragrances of dub-reggae within this hypnotic track. Sounding somewhere between Mr. Bungle and trip-hop icons such as Portishead, there’s no need to fully compare this to anyone else, and you know why? It’s authentic and completely in it’s own realm.
Andy Edwards is a multi-instrumentalist after all, and this album showcases that Andy can also hold a fine tune too. Not prominently a singer, the release showcases Andy’s real potential and how stepping out of your comfort zone can sometimes be the smartest move you ever do. Track number two ‘The Desperaton Daemon‘ is a track I’m sure we can all relate to right about now. We’re desperate to have human interaction again and step outside these constant four walls, and Andy hits the nail perfectly on the head with this feeling.
Featuring a softer sound, there’s no denying the neo-soul and jazz aspect on track number two. The shortest track on the release ,but still just over eight and a half minute long, the track progresses into an electronic dimension of, well, desperation. Desperate to break out – ‘The Desperation Daemon’ has elements where it circles round and around, just like groundhog day, or in other words… everyones current day to day life.
If ‘The Neurosis Daemon‘ doesn’t instantly get your head bobbing and feet tapping to it’s addictive sound, there must be something wrong with you. Instrumentally golden, the track is mostly instrumental yet still holds your gaze throughout. The perfect soundtrack to an adventure style video game, somebody sign Andy up to a Sync deal already.
Last track on the album and certainly the longest, ‘Summoning The Daemon‘ enters with a sort of Mantra before venturing into an experimental trip-hop soundscape. Refusing to follow your typical progressive rulebook, ‘Summoning The Daemon’ is the ultimate head-banging track. There’s moments of grunge, prog-rock, jazz, metal and is not something for the faint-hearted. One of the most aggressive and hard hitting tracks I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing Andy play, this requires your full attention, and if you lose it at any moment, rewind and start again because you might have missed something crucial.
The album is dedicated to his late, great father-in-law… singer Peter Wynne 1939 -2021.
Utterly breathtaking and easily one of the best albums of the year so far, ‘Daemon’ is for all those experimental music lovers out there that need their new fix.
Listen, stream and buy the album here
Daemon by Andy Edwards
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