PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
The Dan Reed Network are ecstatic to finally be celebrating the release of their long-awaited new album Let’s Hear It For The King. The band are happy to share the official music video for the album’s title track.
Filmed in Prague during the pandemic the video is the third in an episodic mini-series that the band have been releasing via their Patreon The Stardate Collective where followers have already been introduced to the first two clips from the story.
The new album is available to pre-save from https://bfan.link/let-s-hear-it-for-the-king.
“First and foremost, I am genuinely elated that the whole album is now out in the world for everyone to hear,” says Dan Reed. “A massive thank you to all of those who have pre-ordered this release and been so patient with the band during this time. Your support and tolerance during this most difficult of times has allowed the band to maintain hope that we’d finally reach this day; and here we are! Next stop, live shows!”
The song itself is a mind-bending heavy rock meets dubstep and funk crossover that sees the band at their heaviest yet most melodic simultaneously. Crushing guitars collide with huge sub drops, Latin percussion, synth swells / stabs and yes, there are trumpets in the outro. All while delivering the lushest and most anthemic of chorus melodies and lyrically asking real questions of the world.
Although not what the band grew to prominence for in the late 80’s and early 90’s Dan sees this as a natural part of the band’s evolution.
“This whole record was about the band returning to its roots, not necessarily sonically, but in terms of value and driving force behind what we want to achieve. The Dan Reed Network was always about forward thinking, progression, and challenging status quos. Musically and thematically, I think this song more than any other on the record encapsulates that.”
As for the accompanying music video, it is a clip from the short film written and directed by Reed of our humble hero of the story named ‘King’ played by Michael Abubakar, taking care of his nightly janitorial duties in the Supernova Cabaret Club, while the Bar Manager ‘Goldie’ played by Dashi Stardust, dances off the stress at the end of a busy night.
Patreon: www.patreon.com/stardatecollective
On the new album Let’s Hear If For The King, The Dan Reed Network return with a collection of their distinctive brand of exhilarating rock, funk, and soul. The highly anticipated sixth studio album is DRN’s first since 2018’s Origins album.
Let’s Hear It For The King comes full circle to the band’s original vision statement – to challenge beliefs, smash down existing protocol, and build something new out of the shrapnel.
“This is the heaviest, funkiest and most melodic DRN album to date,” says Dan Reed. “These songs are the strongest representation of the band’s sound that we’ve ever created. You have been warned!”
Not for the faint-hearted, the long-awaited new DRN album pays tremendous detail to infectious melodies, provocative lyrics and honours their shredding funk rock roots. The new album is targeted at visionaries who want to be part of and bear witness, to the next step in the Dan Reed Network’s artistic evolution.
Available to pre-order from the official DRN store www.danreednetwork.tmstor.es, Let’s Hear It For The King will be available as a limited edition DRN LHIFTK box set, limited edition coloured vinyl, and much more. Dan has even created personalised, hand-written lyric sheets for each song that will be randomly placed inside the limited-edition box sets. Happy hunting, everyone!
The new album dovetails DRN’s European Tour that includes a nine-date co-headline UK run with Reckless Love featuring special guests Collateral in August and September, plus headline shows in Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and Germany.
“The new album snarls and bites,” says an enthusiastic Dan Reed. “We wanted to cut our teeth alongside some young, high-energy bands, so who better than Reckless Love and Collateral. Those boys can rock. Anyone who’s seen DRN live knows that’s where we come to life. We’re ready to deliver a lot of energy and give the audience a direct shot of funk n’ roll!”
Tickets for all Dan Reed Network concerts are available at www.danreed-network.com/tour.
ALBUM TRACK LISTING
*Bonus track on CD (not available on vinyl edition)
1. PRETTY KARMA (4:25)
2. THE GHOST INSIDE (3:51)
3. STARLIGHT (3:51)
4. SUPERNOVA (4:52)
5. LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE KING (4:30)
6. I SEE ANGELS (3:50)
7. HOMEGROWN (4:32)
8. STUMBLE (4:08)
9. JUST MIGHT GET IT (4:16)
10. WHERE’S THE REVOLUTION (4:08)
11. ARE YOU READY? (4:10)
12. UNFUCK MY WORLD (3:58)
13. *LAST DAY ON SATURN (5:35)
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Recorded at The Commune Studio. Portland, Oregon. USA
Produced by: Rob Daiker & Dan Reed
Co-producer on ‘Let’s Hear It For The King’ & ‘I See Angels’: Brion James
Mixed by: Rob Daiker
Mastered by: Stephan Hawkes
Art & Design by: Graeme Bell
ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK
1. PRETTY KARMA (4:25)
Music and Lyrics by Dan Reed
This track’s intention is to shine light on how political and social tribalism, especially in the US, is in danger of creating a divide between humanity that will be hard to heal if it continues unchecked. The Left and Right share far more commonalities than differences. Unfortunately, there’s far too much money to be made on making sure people never see eye to eye and the karma, or energy, that is fostered in this environment will one day come back to haunt everyone. The aggressive musical track Dan wrote mirrors the hatred both sides hold for the other while the chorus is a reminder that it’s never too late to celebrate that which binds us together if we take the time to admit it.
2. THE GHOST INSIDE (3:51)
Music by Brion James and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed.
This song started off as a musical demo Brion James sent to Dan Reed. Dan loved the guitar riff and felt it reflected the internal battle we all have at some point in our lives with darkness, demons, and regrets. It’s the voice inside telling us we can’t achieve something, or we are not strong enough to overcome something holding us back from expressing our true passion in life. Until we face the ‘ghost inside’, make peace with it, and admit our darker side is powerful and to be respected, then we’ll always be in danger of letting it define our future.
3. STARLIGHT (3:51)
Music and Lyrics by Dan Reed.
This track was first composed at 4 am after a long drive back from Dan Reed seeing his friends in AC/DC perform in Berlin, hence the homage to their style of Rock. Inspired by seeing people from 7 years old to 70 at the concert Reed was reminded why he loved this band since he was an aspiring musician back in high school in South Dakota playing school dances and beer bars. “It’s that constant heartbeat pulse of AC/DC that makes it the most infectious rock music on the planet,” Dan says. DRN’s version is all about the social media generation’s addiction to hunting for likes, followers, fame, and fortune. The question being what will you do with that attention? Will it all be to feed the ego only, or will you channel all the light shone upon you in a direction that feeds a bigger picture of feeding the collective soul?
4. SUPERNOVA (4:52)
Music by Melvin Brannon II and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed.
When bassist Melvin Brannon II sent Reed the original Demo of this music bed it seemed like the perfect track that harked back to DRN’s roots of the funk rock club days. What better way to respect that than to include a hood from one of the band’s earliest compositions called ‘Mind and Body, which use to pack the dance floors in the late 80s. The 2021 update tackles how everyone today is a rock star with the invention of the internet, something that was once reserved for those fortunate enough, or cursed enough, to secure a record deal back in the day. The question remains, if everyone is a rock star then it stands to reason no one is a rock star, which is a positive thing. The sooner the myth of celebrity is dispelled, the better.
5. LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE KING (4:30)
Music by Dan Reed and Brion James. Lyrics by Dan Reed.
The beginnings of this song date back to 1999 when Reed was a club owner in Portland, Oregon and composing EDM to perform at ‘Club Ohm’. Most of the lyrics were composed then with Dan pointing out the hypocrisy of the rich and famous, the politically connected, the tyrants had different rules than the common man or woman. Does humanity simply sit back and let the powers to be steamroll over them, or should we fight back and stand up against oppression and tyranny. Brion James loved the intention of the track and using the new vocal tracks Reed had created began to reshape the musical bed, taking it down the Dub Step route. Reigniting Dan to then add some rock elements on top of this new imagining, making this track not only the title track for the new album, but also a watermark of where DRN might head more in the future.
6. I SEE ANGELS (3:50)
Music and Lyrics by Brion James.
This is a classic Brion James composition. Like Chill Out from DRN’s ‘The Heat’ Album, or ‘Save the World’ on their ‘Fight Another Day’ release, ‘I See Angels’ celebrates seeing the good in humanity. That even during our most decadent and debased times, there are shining lights on the horizon, helping to guide us. Reed heard Brion’s version of this song and immediately fell in love with its positive message, making it the perfect track to help counterbalance the other more angst-ridden, cynical, and pointed tracks on ‘Let’s Hear it for the King’.
7. HOMEGROWN (4:32)
Music by Brion James and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Brion James and Dan Reed.
Brion James originally sent Reed a Demo of this track as a chilled-out funky soul rap song, not intended for DRN, but Dan adored the groove and heard a way to rock the song out and give it a heavy chorus that celebrates the love and friendship one feels with the people and places that feed one’s soul as opposed to outside forces that all too often become energy vampires, sucking away our hope, compassion and empathy. That nothing can replace, nor should it, the comfort and reliability of our ‘ homegrown love’. When we feed off our foundation, where our beginnings sprung from, nothing can stop us from going out in the world and rekindling that energy.
8. STUMBLE (4:08)
Music by Brion James and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed.
An original Brion James funky groove that Dan Reed fell in love with and added rock guitar to. Once hearing the playfulness and power of the track, Reed knew immediately this song should tackle how religion, while preaching love and unity, too often fractures humanity in many different directions. The 3 monotheistic faiths from the Torah and New Testament all speak of their ‘saviour’ one day returning to earth and saving the day, while at the same time arguing over whose saviour will is ‘the one’. This song opines about ‘what if’ all the religions are really talking about the same mountain top and are simply arguing over different paths to the reaching that crest, and through using the defamatory metaphor of them all becoming lovers, sex partners, and friends they will one day realise that we are indeed all one.
9. JUST MIGHT GET IT (4:16)
Music by Rob Daiker and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed and Rob Daiker.
A song that started off with a Rob Daiker track that Reed fell in love with. Reed sampled a 4 Bar loop and went on to compose a slightly different song using elements of Daiker’s original song and lyrics. This track poses the scenario that ‘we are what we eat’. If we focus on negativity then this will be what we will manifest. If on the other hand, we accept that all suffering, challenges, and obstacles, are there to make us stronger, teach us something about ourselves, or just give us another perspective, that too will manifest a different path, one that does not have to be weighed down by depression or apathy. The real question being – Do we enjoy wallowing in self-pity and darkness, or is it simply a by-product of the environment we have come to accept as ‘normal’? Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it!
10. WHERE’S THE REVOLUTION (4:08)
Music and Lyrics by Dan Reed.
Another Track that when Reed came up with the groove really reminded him of DRN’s early days of writing songs with the band back in the mid-’80s, coming up with grooves that would pack the dance floor. So again, it made sense to borrow the lyric ‘There’s a fire in the house… we have to scream and shout, until we work it out’, from the song ‘Fire in the House’ off of DRN’s first EP called ‘Breathless’. It was important to Dan to always keep in mind the band’s roots for ‘Let’s Hear it for the King’ and not get side-tracked by trying to be contemporary to what is happening currently. The difference this time is the song takes on the smouldering wreck of the social and political system of the world instead of the disagreement between a couple in a love relationship. But in the end, the macrocosm or the microcosm of crossing the divide is essentially the same and a message DRN has always supported. United we stand… divided we fall.
11. ARE YOU READY? (4:10)
Music by Brion James and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Dan Reed.
This hard-driving song had its beginnings as a Brion James rallying cry asking one simple question… ‘Are you ready?’. Reed pondered ‘ready for what?’. Are we prepared for what we have done to this world? Are we ready to accept the repercussions of our actions to our neighbour, to our planet, and ourselves? Are we ready to fight for better conditions for all humanity, or accept things as they are? We often reach out to wise sages for insights and direction, but when realising what changes are to be made, we are faced with the question… Do we have the will and desire to feed the flames that burn us down, or do we feed the soul which can lift us up? After decades of witnessing both the beauty and ugliness of humanity’s actions that question remains unanswered. But that does not mean we should ever stop inquiring on the subject.
12. UNFUCK MY WORLD (3:58)
Music and Lyrics by Dan Reed.
This heavy driving track mirrors the struggle to free one’s journey from complications, chaos, and self-inflicted harm. Don’t be afraid to ask others for assistance to help in that endeavour. We are often products of learned behaviour, not all of it positive. Asking for insights, wisdom, and lessons that can help ease our own suffering is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of great courage and strength. We do not have to tackle problems alone. We are stronger together rather than being a lone wolf. So, if the world has got you down, change your environment, shake up the paradigm, break glass ceilings, and scream out loud to the heavens. Oftentimes it is traversing the unknown that shows us the answers were buried inside all along.
13. *LAST DAY ON SATURN (5:35)
Music by Rob Daiker and Dan Reed. Lyrics by Rob Daiker and Dan Reed.
*Bonus track on CD. Not available on vinyl edition.
This track was originally a Rob Daiker song that called out to Reed musically and melodically, but Reed heard it more as a song about a traveller to the stars that were missing planet earth, not dissimilar to Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’. Dan is a massive fan of all things ‘Science Fiction’ and the idea of a person running away from earth, and a broken love relationship, to terraform a planet, only to realise they were running away from themselves appealed to Reed. The lyrics from Rob’s original song had great moments of already pointing in the direction. Using the Sun’s light as both the beacon of hope, but also the thing that burns, fading both the good and bad memories of the past, seemed like an appropriate metaphor. Is our search for ‘life’, at great expense, worthy when we struggle to take care of life here on earth? Is a microbe on Mars signalling life on a planet that cannot support humans more important than the millions of creatures destroyed in our world every day? In the end, maybe it’s best to ‘fly away home’.
BAND LINE-UP
Dan Reed: Vocals, Guitar, Synths
Brion James: Guitar, Vocals, Synths, Orchestration
Melvin Brannon II: Bass, Vocals
Dan Pred: Drums, Percussion
Rob Daiker: Keyboards, Vocals, Guitar
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ALBUM DISCOGRAPHY
Dan Reed Network (1988)
Slam (1989)
The Heat (1991)
Fight Another Day (2016)
Origins (2018)
Let’s Hear It For The King (2022)
DAN REED NETWORK AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2022
CO-HEADLINE TOUR WITH RECKLESS LOVE SPECIAL GUEST: COLLATERAL
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM:
The Garage, Glasgow
Tuesday 30 August 2022
The Mill, Birmingham
Wednesday 31 August 2022
The Warehouse, Leeds
Thursday 1 September 2022
Rock City, Nottingham
Friday 2 September 2022
Hangar 34, Liverpool
Tickets: www.ticketweb.uk
Saturday 3 September 2022
Academy 2, Manchester
Monday 5 September 2022
Electric Ballroom, London
Tuesday 6 September 2022
Tramshed, Cardiff
Wednesday 7 September 2022
Engine Rooms, Southampton
Thursday 8 September 2022
