3 out of 5

Label: Self-released?

Producer: Dan Potthast

Aw, Dan.  We first heard him (or I did) as the rip-roaring counterpoint to Jason Nelson on mu330’s first couple discs, then on their following albums as the full-on frontman, holding down the fort with his throaty croon.  Latter day mu turned toward classic ska, and Dan had seemed to come – not exactly full circle – but he was now singing loud and proud, applying those always evident vocal skills with songs that had the same shiny bravado that Nelson’s energetic contributions had added way back when.

Solo Dan is a mostly acoustic gig, and with that, comes a lowering in volume.  These are more ‘intimate’ recordings, thankfully dashed with the same silly sweet and contemplative observational tomes Dan’s been singing since ‘Crab Rangoon.’  ‘Eat the Planet’ doesn’t feel quite as ‘album’ as Dan’s initial solo outings, and the liner notes add to that a bit: this was a batch of songs written from straight inspiration, and a challenge Dan set to himself to see if he could lock himself away for X amount of days and deliver some songs.  Thus we get some simple tunes that are one-word extrapolations – ‘Shelf,’ ‘Riot,’ ‘Fan’ – but also some really effective oddballs like the title track and the toe-tapping ‘Hearbeatsurvival.’  Thankfully, Dan’s not committed to a one guitar route, often getting some backup vocals and keys and other various instrumentation to back him up, but the recording is still very small and personal, so it sounds somewhat like the mixtape that it is.  Several of the tracks would reappear ‘plugged in’ as performed by Dan and the Bricks, but to the artist’s credit, both versions are equally fun and worthwhile and stand on their own.

‘Eat the Planet’ is a very pleasant disc.  It doesn’t quite have the bite or shine to grab your attention if you’re not purposefully listening, but for Dan followers, it’s a wonderful addition to the library of pop and rock gems he’s offered over the years.