Casting off those chord organ blues and getting down to business in a proper studio, Daniel Johnston has contrived to make what sounds very much like the most accessible album of his career. The big rock sound is there, the slick production is there and the airplay should surely follow. But the problem here is that the album lacks that special Daniel magic.

"Queenie the Doggie" may have sounded cutesy and intriguing if recorded on toy piano but instead, like a lot of the tracks, it just sounds average. 2001's Rejected Unknown contained moments that could well have graced late period Beatles albums (Johnston’s heroes), but there are too many moments here that sound like Oasis cover band outtakes.

The sense of pleading longing does sometimes surface, such as on "I Had Lost My Mind", but you can’t get away from the fact that this sounds very much like someone else’s guitar-rock album with Johnston guesting on vocals. The recently re-issued early albums are far more worthy of your time and money, and will allow the uninitiated a chance to see what the fuss is about and why so many bands take the time to namecheck Johnston in interviews.
Iain Aitch