One of the most refreshing things about Noah Britton is his use of simplicity. There is no need to try to write like Morrissey or Leonard Cohen when all you need is directness and raw emotion. This time, Britton, who went underneath multiple names such as ACLU Benefit and Request Freebird, tackles a hard topic: My Dad Died.
The album goes into more detail about what death is about – suicide, and My Dad Died is structured like a concept album. The concept is Britton working out personal feelings about his father’s death before, during and after, and even then, it tells a story about the turbulent relationship he had with his dad. “I’m Not Quite Done With You Yet” is a raw punk pop demo expressing the hunger to keep his father around, but in the end “My Daddy” confirms that the death happened. The rest of the album not only finds him mourning with questions (“I’m Gonna Miss You”) and even asking those wanting favors to let him grieve in peace (“Happy New Year”).
The previously released “PBS Logos” goes a little deeper into the story as he tells a story of how rebellion and regret led to a feud left unresolved by such death. And although other songs tackle both fatherhood and childhood to a warm and heartbreaking degree, what can be more heartbreaking than regret?
The first two, according to Britton was written near twenty years ago while the rest were more recent, and all one can really do in good conscience is approach this project as if it were him speaking at a funeral and sharing personal family anecdotes after the wake.
All condolences to Britton. Your memory of your dad lives on in you, and regardless of whether any answer from the questions came to be, there is no doubt that he would be proud of how you turned out. R.I.P Dave Britton.
Written by mynameisblueskye
