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Few songwriters could claim to be as prolific as Daniel Wylie, but then
I suppose when one of your best places for composing songs is on the toilet
you're bound to hope for at least one new song in a day! Enough of the
sanitary goings-on already, though, for The High Cost Of Happiness proves
once again that Wylie can boast quality as well as quantity in his
compositions.
Rather than being an excursion into Americana as it was first mooted,
The High Cost Of Happiness finds Wylie exalted in sunshine pop of the first
degree. The melodies unfold naturally, the jangly guitar accompaniments
have the west coast warmth he has picked up in California rather than
Glasgow, and the backing harmonies are expertly delivered, precise yet
natural.
Wylie's subject matter tends towards love, despite the album title, and
from the artwork and several lyrics it would seem he's in it up to his
neck. Songs like Move In With Me and That Was The Day positively gush about
the other half, but tend to stop short of going over the top in their
exultations.
And yet underneath this relative bonhomie there is the occasional stab
of melancholy or hurt that tugs at the heartstrings. Songs like Tell Them
The Truth are cautionary, with the singer advising "the truth will come to
light, then one day you'll find you've just been used". Sung from the
heart, this would seem to refer to a specific event or person in Wylie's
life, though of course he's well mannered enough not to mention who.
Unexpected words of defiance come to the surface in You're The Only One
That's Going Down, with Wylie asserting, "maybe I don't give a fuck, cause
I'm still pushing on". With the relatively gentle accompaniment his words
carry a far greater impact.
As always with Wylie the melodic content is consistently good, and while
no radical stylistic grounds are broken there's no need when the songs are
assured in construction and delivery. It's criminal that these miniature
gems aren't likely to find a bigger audience, as they're heartfelt writings
that contain much more of an emotional content than the vapid offerings
riding high in the charts at present.
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