Follow That Dream: A Brief Review Of The New Shimmy-Disc Reissue Of I Killed The Monster: The Songs Of Daniel Johnston

The music of Daniel Johnston continues to earn much deserved praise. The late singer-songwriter's legacy is strong, and new generations of listeners are still coming to this stuff for the first time. I Killed the Monster: The Songs of Daniel Johnston came out in 2006 on CD but Shimmy-Disc just offered up a new vinyl set, and a limited cassette edition too.

Kramer's remastered these tracks himself, and things sound wonderful. The sardonic "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievances" kicks things off, Dot Allison delivering one of her warmest vocal performances, while "Follow that Dream", sung by Kimya Dawson (The Moldy Peaches), mines similar territory. The whole set features tunes expertly matched to vocalists and performers, with "Worried Shoes", from Danielson & Sufjan Stevens, being a real highlight here. The tenderness and weirdness of Daniel Johnston's craft are both here in equal measure, and it's a sign of the care Kramer showed these songs back in 2006 that that care is still evident in this new edition. Kramer himself makes multiple appearances here, including on the fine "Bloody Rainbow", a tune that sits nicely next to "Cathy Kline" from R. Stevie Moore.

And while I Killed the Monster: The Songs of Daniel Johnston works perfectly in its original form, the download version offers up another 10 songs of nearly equal impact. "Held the Hand" by Joy Zipper may be my favorite number in this half of the entire set, but I find myself going back to the numbers of the album proper. A gorgeous, breathtaking "True Love Will Find You in the End" by Kramer and Jad Fair stuns, while Mike Watt finds new sonic adventures in "Walking the Cow". These numbers represent the flip-sides of the late Johnston's talents: the heartfelt vulnerability and the wearing-it-on-my-sleeve cleverness. This whole set is wonderful, and I'd urge you to buy it in whatever format suits your life.

I Killed the Monster: The Songs of Daniel Johnston is out now via Shimmy-Disc.