One of my favourite things about writing for Panic is being introduced to music that I probably would never have discovered otherwise, but genuinely love.
These couple of tracks by Essex singer/songwriter Yan Baker fall into that category. Having featured on festival bills alongside the likes of Blondie and Bowling for Soup, and with a full UK tour ready and waiting in the pipeline for 2012, Yan has gone from strength to strength in recent months. Listening to Dressed to Kill and Talk, it’s really not hard to see why success is his new best friend.
Dressed to Kill is a wonderfully polished, solid track with unforgettable melody lines, and lyrics that leave an equally lasting impression. It is the kind of song that appeals to the masses, with a terrible catchy chorus that has no hope of leaving your head for at least a week. However, this is no manufactured pop music, there is nothing except mature, well crafted songwriting on display here.
The demos other track Talk is Yan’s current single and can be found in the Reverbnation charts. It is as instantly likeable as the last, and fans of bands such as Biffy Clyro and Idelwild would probably enjoy this in particular. Yan’s vocals are distinctive and explore a large range within this song. The are delivered with sincerity and emotion, especially the mid-song line of “Do you love me as much as I love you, I don’t think you realise what you are getting yourself into”.
Both of these songs would fit nicely into anybody’s favourite iPod playlist, but I find Talk is the stronger of the two.
If you are on the lookout for new, enjoyable and refreshing local talent, you really need to look no further than Yan Baker’s latest venture.
