Todd Severin - The Ripple Effect

"Starting off this summer guide then is the perfectly titled new album by sunshine pop artist extraordinarie, Dave Dill and his capture of warm sunny days on a disc, Follow the Summer. On this, Dave's fifth solo album, he's perfected his shimmering blend of easy, seventies AM radio inspired indie pop. Playing all the instruments himself, as well as writing, producing and recording this summer classic, Dave brings in the heart and soul of all the great summer artists of the past. With a voice reminiscent of McCartney, melodies as beautiful as Brian Wilson and the gentle rocking backbone of Badfinger, Follow the Summer is like a mini-excursion through every summer of your youth.

You know you're in for something retro special during the very first second, when the CD starts amongst the sound of a needle being placed on a vinyl LP and that first few seconds of fantastic record static, the hiss of anticipation that accompanied your first playing of every LP you ever bought. Then, as "Today" leaks out of the speakers, jubilant and buoyant, riding high across the organ, bouncing bass, and Beatles-esque melody it's as if we're back in the glory days of McCartney. And Dave doesn't let up there. "Miss America," is an apple pie sized slice of pop perfection, "Happily Ever After," brings on some rock muscle a la Todd Rundgren with a crunching guitar, biting solo and throbbing bassline. "Don't Remember," runs with the melodicsm of Jackson Browne, "Don't Believe it," sounds like a lost America classic and "Perfect There," hints at shades of the classic summer songs of Seals and Crofts. That's how sweet this disc is, like cotton candy melting on your palette at the county fair.

But what makes this disc stand out is that Follow the Summer isn't just the sum of its influences, it transcends them. Dave Dill crafts pristine moments of exquisite pop. Pure pop confections. Adding his own indie verve and sparkling musicianship, he captures all that we love about our 60's and 70's summer pop favorites as if he bottled the light reflecting in a billion rainbows shimmering off the facets of a prism. Summer in a bottle, or more appropriately, on a CD. What more could you ask for?"