British import Dan Croll released his debut album Sweet Disarray, an interesting mix of electronica and pop sounds with indie sensibilities, reminiscent of Owl City.
Sweet Disarray carries over songs from the singer, songwriter’s independent EP From Nowhereincluding album opener “From Nowhere”, a beat-driven hit maker, and beautifully crafted “Compliment You Soul”, which overshadow, because of their greatness, some of the new songs. New song highlights include the country stomping “Home”, title track “Sweet Disarray”, a simply crafted acoustic song, with layers of voices complimenting each other perfectly, and the quirky electo-pop “In/Out”, which will having you dancing throughout. “Thinkin Aboutchu” misses the mark, although the almost ska-based sound is noteworthy, it still leaves us wanting more, where “Can You Hear Me” drowns itself in overproduction, and frankly, left us wanting it to be over.
Stemming from notoriety as a student of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, winning several awards and being one of eight chosen to have a one-on-one with the Beatle himself, Croll obviously knows how to craft a song. Though there are places where the less-is-more philosophy could have come into play, Croll has definitely found his niche in the music industry, and with maturity and experience, he will surely have a long career.