Monday 9/21: Lake Saint Daniel—"Good Things"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Watertown, MA indie-folk songwriter Lake Saint Daniel.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the Watertown, MA indie-folk songwriter Lake Saint Daniel.
Lake Saint Daniel—"Good Things"
Eric Bennett:
The first single from Lake Saint Daniel, the project of musician Daniel Radin, is a technically well-done introduction. Radin is perhaps best known as a member of the Boston bummer pop group Future Teens. The cut, “Good Things,” is a calm piece of indie-folk with country-tinged guitars wailing boldly in contrast with his voice’s hushed tone. This lovely, wide sound is its strongest feature; it helps the song go down easy. The pleasant tone aside, it’s hard to see much that separates this from its incredibly crowded field. Perhaps it’s simply the molasses-like tempo, but I’ve listened to it several times, and feel each time feels like it’s the first, leaving behind no larger impression.
Eli Enis:
My main takeaway from seeing the band Future Teens last year was how earnest and warm they were on stage. Like, authentically earnest and warm and not just playing nice because it’s trendy to be cheerful. They seemed like genuinely nice people, and the indie-folk that guitarist/co-vocalist Daniel Radin makes as Lake Saint Daniel radiates a similar friendliness. Musically, “Good Things” personifies morning sun streaming through the window and gracing bleary eyes. It’s pleasant and soft and inviting and not much else—but its lyrics are what grabbed me. The song reads like transcripts from a conversation with a trusted love one, as Radin describes how great things have been going since he and his partner finally got together after years of inconvenient timing and retreats to selfishness.
“So can I say / Something I haven’t said / That it feels better to actually give a shit / About someone, that is besides myself / I think its nice to feel something I’ve not felt,” are its opening lines. Later, he describes the years leading up to their relationship as such: “Some part of me and I think some part of you / Lived in the contrast of what we both knew / And it was strange just for a moment or two / Sharing the same dream and a short week.” As someone who’s personally been in that sort of situation, where bumpy feelings finally jostle into place, I think that’s a positively beautiful way of putting it.