Meeting Dangerous Muse

On Friday, I traveled up to the Bronx in New York City to meet  Mike Furey and Tom Napack of Dangerous Muse in their studio to formally congratulate them with their big wins in the Arjanwrites.com 2006 Readers' Poll and to hear tracks from their upcoming debut album. The trip to the Bronx took me about an hour and when I received at my stop, Tom was waiting for me to take me to his apartment that is also home to the duo's cosy little studio.

We chatted a bit until Mike arrived and then we talked and listened to music for over three hours. Most of what we discussed was off the record, but topics included the new album, possible producers of the album (very exciting!), a new single on a new major label, the gay-or-not-gay backlash, a national tour, living in the Bronx versus Manhattan ("less distractions"), a lengthy discussion about musical chords and the ones they like, their common love for the Smashing Pumpkins and Depeche Mode and Tom's obsession with eBay. (He is an avid collector of muscial and synth equipment that filled his living room.)

We also talked about the perceived delay of their album by many, which has much to do with label strategy and politics and the fact that Tom is still in music school that he wants to finish.

Mike and Tom let me listen to three songs that were still raw cuts and not finished. The songs were "Friends To Love," "Secret" and "Homewrecker." I felt very fortunate to hear these songs since only their label has heard them so far. It wouldn't be fair to review the songs since they might still change quite a bit in their final production and mixing.

However, I can tell you that these songs show new sides of Dangerous Muse. The naysayers who argue Dangerous Muse is just a one hit fling should think again. The stuff that's coming up is really good and will surprise you. In particular, Mike vocals cover more range and melody, while Tom remains crafty with his clever and hooky synth arrangements. "Friends To Love" was especially interesting because it is a more lush, mellow track than what I've heard before.

Inspiration for the songs (and the entire album) is based on secrets and things Mike's friends tell him. This results in a collection of songs that take a contemporary angle on themes we can all relate to without being corny and cliche.  A good example of that is "Secret" that follows a rumour as it travels from one person to another throughout the song. The infectious "hush hush" tops it all of.

Much more about Dangerous Muse very soon.

(A big, BIG thank you to Mike and Tom for making time to meet with me and let me hear their new songs. Thank you so much! Hope to see you both soon. Thanks to Stef for making it all happen.)