GOOD NIGHTOWL

The Pennsylvania based Daniel Lewis Cupps aka Dan Solo (no relation to Han) and best known as GOOD NIGHTOWL has been cranking out his own brand of progressive indie rock since his 2011 debut "God Ate My Homework (I'm Dyslexic)" and has showcased not only a quirky sense of humor but a quirky sense of musicality as well. Existing somewhere between the prog indie rock of The Dear Hunter, Big Big Train and perhaps Porcupine Tree? Whatever the case i was smitten by 2020's "Liar" which caught me off guard and in a really receptive mood only to find the enthusiasm wasn't shared with heaps of negative ratings and reviews following!

Well now? as much as i meant to keep up with him to see if that album was a fluke or just something that caught me at the right time, my endeavors in checking out following albums didn't materialize just as GOOD NIGHTOWL became ridiculously prolific releasing three albums since. His latest BELIEF hit the market on New Year's Day 2024 and i'm making it a point to finally revisit this multi-instrumentalist one-man band to see if his sound still appeals to me. This album features 10 tracks at 44 1/2 minutes and displays a much more mature attitude since the earlier anarchic approaches to proggy indie rock.

This album still nurtures all those progressive indie pop styles along with some math pop and nerdy time signature workouts, but changes directions a bit from even the previous "Capital" by tacking the worlds of symphonic prog and jazz fusion. Atmospherically speaking BELIEF comes across as sort of a post-rock album with lush ambient backdrops accompanied by Cupps' sensual falsetto singing style. The humor is gone and this is serious business! Yes the vocals and atmospheres are the stars of this show but there are plenty of other instruments to be heard. The guitar takes on versatile duties with arpeggiated chords, proggy riffing sessions and basically rhythmic musical scaffolding. The drums pretty much dance to the rhythm with nothing flashy out of the norm yet with some tasty chops thrown in for good measure now and again.

The keys also play a prominent role, well of course they do if symphonic prog is mentioned, right? Well not only do they provide the synthesized counterpoint to the main melody but also appear in piano form and of course as dreamy ambient atmospheres that glaze the entire album's run. While the jazz fusion is prevalent in the compositional song structures, the sax only makes rare appearances (mostly on "Pretend To Know") and doesn't really stand out from the mix too much. The bass is a very integral part of the sound as well that is well placed in the mix. In fact the mixing of this album was done quite well and allows every instrument to exist in its own space however the vocals are set back a bit which makes it a bit muted by the instrumentation. This is an attribute common in extreme metal but not so much in the world of progressive pop. The music isn't overly complex but the spacing of the parts allows the maximum effect. Oh and don't forget the flute part on "The Exultant Natural State!"

The album pretty much follows the same playbook laid down on the first track, namely catchy albeit quirky indie pop hooks smothered with heaps of atmospheric presence, falsetto vocals (and sometimes normal vocals) trying to break into a Prince hit, murky guitar reverb and a busier than average percussive beat and everything is played by Mr GOOD NIGHTOWL himself! Well, whatever made me like "Liars" so much has clearly been abandoned in its entirety. This is a very serious indie pop album drawn out into more progressive compositions sounding something like something from the newer releases of Leprous only without Einar's golden vox box. This is certainly not a bad album and quite listenable. I love the quirky time signatures and the symphonic aspects are played quite well but i'm a bit adverse to these aerie fairy sounds where the atmospheres dominate all other aspects of the music. Descent but not something i'll find myself revisiting any time soon either.

First and foremost, this album needs to be labeled "post rock." I guess eclectic prog artists do take a turn for an entire album from time to time, but upon further investigation, this seems like as complete an overhaul in sound one individual can do while still existing somewhat in the previous realm. That being said I love it. I love the change in tone from previous releases. It seems a lot of Good NightOwl's familiar blend of math rock, djent, and electronica, is all but completely absent here, with hints of references to his old releases hanging in the background at moments. This is an album I didn't know could come from this artist. Cupps sings completely in falsetto the whole time, never having done that before. The album has almost all clean reverb guitars and there is only organic instruments in general (bass, guitar, some strings, piano) as opposed to every other release which is heavy in whimsical sounding Yes-style synths and silly midi sounds. The dark cavernous feeling it fills me with reminds me of experimental prog bands like "Leprous" but more subdued and moody like the post metal band "Holy Fawn" which surprises me given what I knew Cupps for was his work with adult swim absurdist comedian Tim Heidecker, who mostly only likes The Beatles and creates his own brand of unironic dad rock. To see Tim working with someone like Cupps makes me think this guy contains massive multitudes. I can tell this album was meant to challenge you in a weird way, to hang with your most heavy thoughts and debate the intention of it in your head. This is not for anyone who gets uncomfortable hearing a minor key for too long, that's for sure! I can understand Cupps stripping it all down and trying to force a change after 17 albums, but I also understand why the average prog fan might find this a hard listen as it more fits in the post rock genre. Either way I'll continue to be excited for whatever twists and turns come from Good NightOwl, as Cupps seems to do whatever he wants with this project regardless of expectation.

"Belief" is the eighteenth studio album by Good NightOwl, a project of Daniel Cupps. It consists of illusory atmospheres floating in the air, rhythmic breaks and solemnity, a lot of solemnity. Perhaps there is not a single thing that I can rescue from this album, excepts some acceptable moments. It's an eclectic prog so far removed from its own subject matter that I don't even know if it's eclectic. The songs rarely differentiate themselves, as the spatial monotony that inhabits this album, wanting to be superlative music that encompasses all the glory of existence, is bland and inexpressive. No matter what note it goes to, it cannot escape from sounding poor. Typical album of that musician who releases more than two or three albums per year playing all the instruments (a frequent phenomenon in progressive rock, the genre that gives rise to the experiment). The Olympic concept is there, it just needs to be represented in music.

I would say we do need a thought collector now. Encounters in multiple. On one hand, okay, probably shame on me, because I'm late. As there are already a bunch of project albums available waiting for a try. Means, it's the first time that I came in touch with this interesting music entity, currently driven by the US boys Daniel Cupps and Joshua Cook. Eh, better late than never. But then furthermore, wtf, I began to ponder about any plausible reason why one would cut out the vocals regarding those amazing five compositions that are available on this production. Okay, scratching the surface a bit, let's say this is covered by the term artistical freedom, agreed? If you start while listening to the non vocal versions, would you really miss something? Such complex eclectic music assigned with vocals, is this successfully manageable basically? Oh, another phase, in the end this may turn into a highly philosophical issue.

You may call it a trickery, to present an album of round about 50 minutes running time, which turns out to be solely the half of it actually. Possibly justified, if it hadn't worked out sooooooo well. And then later, at some point, the current attitude of these night owls will make sense actually, in a very special manner. Okay, as noted beforehand, those two musicians are providing all the instrumental (and vocal) input, and also do share the songwriting and composing. No guests here, what I can see. Their music is made of a complex nature, that's obvious. At first glance it sounded somewhat bulky, less accessible. But this definitely needs time to become apparent, several attempts. Ever-changing presence, that's the mantra here. Who will find the right words to describe the offered inspiration, energy, skills, musicianship? I give up, can't get at it, I'll give you that.

Ah, if this album is any indication of the new year and the roaring 20s to come then i'm TOTALLY in for the full show. GOOD NIGHTOWL doesn't refer to a well-behaved nocturnal avian with excellent vision but is actually the pseudonym of Philadelphia, PA based Dan Cupps who creates his musical visions alone on his laptop in his house near his cats, at least that's what he states on his Bandcamp page. This guy is prolific and obviously a freekin' genius as he's not only a multi-instrumentalist musician but also a comedy writer, producer and actor and who knows what else. His apparent goal is to prove how much a homo sapiens can achieve on a low budget. Hmmm? i resemble those remarks! (but pale in comparison to this music magic)

Suffice it to say?. there is so very, very, very much music to experience these days. I mean you can really expand your consciousness to include the entire history of recorded music on your computer so it's becoming ever more difficult to find a niche in the glut of talent that exists. Once in a while someone hits me in the right spot that i really fall into their spell. Such is the case of the acts of yore but now? Well? yeah!!!! It still exists and surprises me when it does. Can something from one dude really sound organic, inspired, melodic, proggy as hell and off-kilter enough to keep me from labeling the music as a wannabe tribute to who-knows-who from the past? Yep. Originality persists and Cupps AKA the talent ted GOOD NIGHTOWL is a primo example of just that.

As GOOD NIGHTOWL, Cupps has been quite prolific since his introduction to the world in 2011 and has released a whopping 15 albums, none of which i've heard until my first album of 2020. LIARS is an instantly addictive slice of melodic prog that tackles a very bizarre concept which i can only copy from the Bandcamp page because i couldn't possibly provide a better description "LIARS is a concept album by Good NightOwl containing a story about a pathological liar who almost turns the world to chaos when he pays scientists to create a fake research consensus that would aim to prove to the public that pathological lying isn't merely lying, but rather remembering an alternate timeline with a completely different set of events."

The album LIARS consists of 10 single-word titled tracks and only consumes a whopping 46 minutes of your life but surprisingly after i listened to this a few times, i actually still want more! The perfect recipe for my attention span is presented here however you must be warned that this is a very melodic and catchy pop-hook prog type of album. You must love crossover aspects with unorthodox behaviors. Really, what comes to mind when i listen to LIARS is that it is the perfect prog meets new romantic 80s new wave album that never was. Maybe a bad thing to some but not to me. If you're into the highly melodic antics of Big Big Train or Porcupine Tree then this is right up your alley. If you only treasure avant-freakery such as Henry Cow or Univers Zero, go on with yer bad self. This ain't for you.

Wow. Where to start? This is first and foremost very melodic pop oriented music that simply expands the possibilities into prog turf. Melodies and brilliant vocalizations are at the forefront and then the variations kick in but you cannot help but be mesmerized by the addictive hooks that instantly take you to heaven. All hooks are based in 80s new wave. Bands like ABC, Orchestral Maneouvres In The Dark, Depeche Mode and even the Eurythmics may come to mind while listening to LIARS. This is clearly somebody influenced by the 80s but who has the love of prog in the heart and the alchemy of the two is clearly magic in its delivery! While the melodic constructs are clearly rooted in the most catchy picks of the 80s, the instrumental and thematic material is clearly of a more complex ilk.

In addition to nice melodic tugs we get Emerson inspired keyboard antics, Steve Howe=esque guitar wankery and prog chops that make proggers have to decide in which dimension they reside. The vocals are sublime and there are even off-kilter tracks like "Pressure" that add a little oom-pah-pah to the mix. There are times when the vocals even sound a bit like George Michael but despite all the obvious references to 80s classic pop shop, GOOD NIGHTOWL manages to keep it all tastefully delivered. When all is said and done, i think of this one-man b and as sounding more like Muse for all the progressive pop sensibilities are on full fire and the changes evoke a highly evolved sense of musical understanding. Wow. This totally makes me want to explore this dude's work beyond this one album. This is a truly a brilliant self-composed masterpiece. Wow. Wow. Wow. Released on New Year's Day, so far my fave album of the year! I predict this will still be on the my personal charts even after 360+ days :)

Good NightOwl is an Eclectic Prog project from Daniel Lewis Cupps , and he has been releasing albums under that name since 2011. At this point, he has 15 albums released under that moniker, including "Liars", released on the first day of a new year and a new decade; 2020.

"Liars" is a concept album telling a story about a pathological liar who uses a false theory that liars are only proof that there are alternate timelines. That's definitely an interesting concept, and the story is expressed in an amazing beautiful vocal harmony created from layers of voices that sound very much like the harmonies in "Fleet Foxes" music, and since I am a fan of that innovative indie-folk band, I am also fond of the vocals here. But that is where the comparison ends and the interesting instrumentation and rhythmic structures make this quite an entrancing progressive work.

There are some scattered style usage here, including the nice symphonic sound on the title track "Liars" that also mixes an intriguing art-pop style that puts this album way above the musical norm. It's airy and light with fluttering instrumentation and orchestral effects at times, the sound going through some unexpected textural manipulations that help to paint the picture of the overall storyline. Later, the guitar lines and the orchestral effects contradict each other creating some nice dissonant harmonies, yet it all stays surprisingly lush and wonderful.

The fact that Cupps plays and sings everything on this album is almost unbelievable, because it is done so well that you would swear this was done with a full band. The addition of piano and brass in "Younger" make a very catchy sound, but Cupps makes sure that the music never stays in a single groove for too long, though he does return to main themes within songs, but keeps it all dynamic so that any one motif never wears itself out. Right from the beginning, the track "Pressure" sticks out as a definite standout track as it grabs your attention with a tuba sounding bass and the rapid fire vocal delivery (yes complete with harmonics) proves that there is a heavy layer of humor in the music, but the complexity of the sounds, beats and meter changes in this track shows that Cupps is serious about what he is doing. Then he chooses to end it all with a funky and jazzy feel with the track "Believe".

Seeing that, among other things, Cupps is a comedian and actor, this album shows the perfect combination of his talents added to his compositional mastery. It's all here on this album. But then he takes his brilliant ideas and mixes them all together to make some of one of the most concise and perfect sounding one-man-band prog-pop albums I have heard, then waits until New Years Day of a new decade to release it. How brilliant is that? It's hard to believe that one of the best albums of 2020 would be on day one, but I believe Good NightOwl has achieved that here. I love this sound. Bright, airy, fun, experimental and smart. Beautiful harmonics, excellent levels of interplay between the instruments, nice doses of progressive sounds, whirling keys and guitars and changing melodies that create both light and thick textures, this is one needs to be heard. Yes I am a bit prejudice because I am taken immediately by the vocal harmonics, but that is all backed up by a very smart use of instrumentation, both traditional and electronic. It's love at first listen!