Madi Don't Leave ...

Way back in the days of the Myspace craze there was a boy named Dan Hunter and his electronic one man band, PlayRadioPlay! There was something so great and refreshing about his angelic voice and simple lyrics that no one could resist. One of my personal favorites was a song titled "Madi Don't Leave" about his then girlfriend Madi moving away to college.

Their love, like his music was not only plastered all over myspace but appeared to be so innocent and pure. Mix this with both of their incredible artistic aesthetics, and they became a power couple in my eyes.

The beauty of PlayRadioPlay! was it's simplicity. Every song had a free flowing and poetic quality to them and seemed to lack the conventionality and structure of most pop songs produced today. There was a certain rawness to Dan Hunter's work that was refreshing and so different from most things I'd ever heard. Best of all the music never felt like it was an assualt on the senses, always soft and beautiful. The flowy quality of the music gave it a sort of ambiguity that made it perfect to listen to, no matter what mood you were in.

Dan Hunter's talent really showed as he managed to create a fanbase through online networking and scored major gigs like Warped Tour, one of the biggest concerts in the summer. At the age of 17 he was able to land a contract with Island Records.

Self taught in nearly everything from playing the guitar and drums to creating electronic music, Dan Hunter's candid lyrics were unusual and in a way, quirky. They were obviously not written by professionals or by someone hired to do the job for him, increasing the natural poetry, rhythm and flow that each song had. The fact that each of his songs came straight from the source drew me even deeper in love with his music.

And then there was Madi.

"I'm pretty sane but

I'm looking at my future

and, god, do I have to lose her?"

I'm not really sure what happened to Madi and Dan or just Madi, for that matter, but for the time that I felt that I knew her (or rather lurked her myspace page intensely), she was basically my idol. She appeared to be everything I wanted to be: cool, confident, and artsy. Plus she was Dan Hunter's girlfriend. I couldn't imagine who wouldn't want a cute musician boyfriend to write you songs.

Listening to some old PlayRadioPlay! songs, I thought that the lyrics to "At This Particular Moment In Time" hinted at reasons for their breakup.

"and I can see why you'd pick them over me

they all got big trucks, big subs and I'm not 18

In four months, I'll be one year away

But that's far too long to wait I'm afraid.

...

In four months

you'll be in college far away

and that's all I have to say."

But that's just my guess.

If you are in any way familiar with Dan Hunter and PlayRadioPlay!, you'd know that he has since given up the moniker and adopted the new name of Analog Rebellion for his latest band. With the release of his latest album as Analog Rebellion, Hunter also a final look at his work as PlayRadioPlay! with all of his work, including some never before heard tracks such as one of my personal favorites, "Selfish Introvert". The creatively titled "Besides, Nothing (B Sides and Rarities 2003- 2009)" functions as a B-side compliment to Analog Rebllion's first ever release, "Ancient Electrons".

So chop off your long locks and slap on the occasional mustache and you have the new and improved, all grown-up Dan Hunter. With more sophisticated lyrics and instrument based songs, Analog Rebellion makes a transition into a new era. As Dan Hunter has stated in interviews, he sees his music moving in a new direction and best way to make a clean break from what he was doing before was to change his name completely. It's been an interesting ride watching this young texan musician rise to fame. His musical career began as an outlet for his emotions following his father's tragic death and an alternative to the hard core drugs he had turned to in his youth, and it is exciting to see Analog Rebellion make its move out into deeper material as Dan Hunter continues to develop artistically.

"Is there any way you can change schools and stay up here in fort worth

'cause you're what I look for.

I've got a hopeless crush, and maybe that don't mean much to you

but, I'm hoping this can keep going.

Madi, dear, can't we just disappear and take our chances

on a teenager's romances?"