Daniel Johnston
Is and Always Was
High Wire Music
October 6, 2009

By Matt Kiernan

The indie-rock legend Daniel Johnston has created a reputation of being one of the most creative lo-fi artists to ever come out their parent’s basement while rising above a mental illness and now releases an album that enforces his simple cleverness.

Is and Always Was can be seen as a culmination of what Johnston’s always been about, a daydreamer who can never forget about the one who got away and thoughts of imaginary characters, often best portrayed through his album cover drawings. Compared to his albums in the ‘80s that established him, the sound quality has vastly improved from the cassette recordings that he recorded while his mom shouted at him to do chores and quit playing music.

The opening track “Mind Movies” is a song from an almost 50-year-old man who sings as if he’s still a teenager dreaming about a girl who he can’t seem to get a date from. It’s one of the more lo-fi tracks on the album that sounds as if he’s jamming on his acoustic guitar in his basement.

“Fake Records of Rock and Roll” slams mainstream music that is often plain and  made for the purpose of making money. Johnston has always remained in the underground even during his peak with the album Fun on Atlantic Records, choosing to retain his characters and odd lyrics.

Johnston goes in a different direction with “Without You,” a song about being fine and survival without the person you love with a catchy piano riff and guitar. “I Had Lost My Mind” possibly addresses his mental illness in a witty way of going over to a lost and found and asking for his brain back.

While not being one of the best records Johnston has released during his career, Is and Always Was still retains the personality of the artist can possibly be seen as a way of coming to terms with himself.