ulfTone » artists » David Todoran

David Todoran
luck in this life.

'David Todoran’s songs are haunted by restless souls seeking a sense of place. Their stories are often set against the seemingly vast expanse and close knit communities of middle America. That sense of place permeates the Indiana native’s 1998 release SOLSTICE, and its 2000 follow-up UNDER MY SKIN. Both albums were produced by roots-rock alt-country legend Ian Spanic (Spanic Boys and various Bloodshot artists), whose knack for spare, guitar driven arrangements made the perfect compliment to Todoran’s rustic rock narratives. The Spanic produced records garnered a wide range of critical raves in the United States and throughout Europe. Back home, David and back up band The Mobile Homewreckers gathered up several Whammy Awards in the 2000, 2001, and 2002 readers polls conducted by Whatz-Up Entertainment Weekly of Northeast Indiana.

In 2000, Germany’s ulfTone Music licensed SOLSTICE for European distribution, followed by UNDER MY SKIN in 2001. A European tour led to an invitation to collaborate with Berlin-based band Dziuk’s Küche, and in the summer of 2002, David and the group convened in Berlin to record a collection of his songs. The resulting album, LUCK IN THIS LIFE, is David’s third ulfTone release---and his most ambitious recording to date. Like its predecessors, LUCK exudes a strong sense of place, but this time around that sense is more subtext than setting. In contrast to the narrative style of past albums, LUCK explores internal conflicts in loyalty, fidelity, hope and reinvention---psychological landscapes that in many ways mirror the aura of the once divided yet highly innovative city of Berlin.

Using a bare minimum of remote recording gear, the sessions took place at Berlin’s Kulturbrauerei, a renovated brewery that now houses art galleries, theatre and cinema spaces, and an opera house. The setting would play a vital role in the mood of the album. Inside its walled perimeter, Kulturbrauerei is a maze of cobblestone alleys and imposing 19th Century red brick buildings. Outside its gates the bohemian borough of Prenzlauerberg buzzes with street life. Likewise, Todoran’s brooding, elegiac melodies open up onto hooks that burst with epiphany. Building from a foundation of acoustic/resonator guitar, double bass and drums, recording engineers Moe Jacksh and Danny Dziuk layered each song with atmospheric electronica, swirling keyboards and edgy guitars. The result is a cinematic journey beyond the borders of Americana.

Tracklisting:

1. Into the sky
2. Good
3. Drive all night
4. Luck in this life
5. In the end
6. Cafe Novacento
7. Our own half monn
8. Three on a match
9. Blue sky
10. I do
11. Glorious

buy it!

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