PURE M Magazine
Daveit Ferris Sparks 365 Project:
The Lowdown
52
By Dave Simpson
A
llow me to introduce you to Daveit Ferris; an astonishingly
innovative singer, songwriter, poet and producer from
Derry in Northern Ireland. His revolutionary “365 Sparks”
project is a musical undertaking unlike any other. Its goal
is to release a song every single day in 2015. That’s an
incredible 365 songs in total between January and
December of this year. The feat is made even more impressive by the fact
that Ferris composes and arranges each track himself, carrying out guitar,
bass, drum, piano and vocal duties all alone.
Each day when the clock hits 5pm GMT, a new offering is released on the
artist’s superbly detailed website. Every song is free to stream and every
Saturday’s contribution can be downloaded without charge. Ferris’s intention
is to keep things fresh and exciting by dabbling in various genres and
catering to a wide range of musical tastes. The material that has hit so far is
a captivating mixture of pop and rock, all of which exudes passion and
personality.
Now you may wonder as to the quality of the work, given its frequency,
and I can honestly say that of the 26 tracks available at the time of this
article’s publication, there exists not one that I could critique as being even
mediocre.
Ferris’s talent and execution is awesome, in the truest sense of the word.
The project thus far has produced some of the best new music I’ve heard in
recent times, to the extent that I could ramble on about it for pages and pages.
Instead though, I’ll put the spotlight on ten of my personal favourites.
The appropriately titled “Keep Your Resolutions” premiered on New Year’s
Day, kicking off “365 Sparks” in fine form. Its upbeat pop punk riff is
complemented by an infectious melody that generates a bright and cheerful
atmosphere. It commences the project with a lot of accessibility, instantly
making one believe that this whole endeavour really is going to be
something special.
“I’m the Bull/You’re the China Shop” immediately steals attention with
an extraordinarily enthralling bass effect laced with expressive lyrics and
vocals. It’s a lighter pop/rock composition swelling with character.
Blasting off with hectic, riotous vocals, “Kill the Chords” is an irresistibly
absorbing rock anthem. The coarse and raw melody unfolds over
instrumentation that’s heavy but happy.
Piercing guitars slice through you as “This Is Your Captain Speaking”
begins. It invades your senses as it darts along on pressing riffs and frantic
vocals. The rebellious energy of the sound makes for a delightfully liberating
listen.
“Nail in the Coffin” is one of the more mellow entries, featuring relaxing
acoustic guitars and a pleasant harmony. The vocals echo and resonate in
the chorus, while an inexplicable warmth radiates from the background
piano keys, resulting in an easy listening piece rich with emotion.
Pounding percussion and blaring guitars race through “I Just Don’t Give a
Fuck”, along with aggressive vocals and lyrics that howl out during a
relentlessly catchy melody. It all works together to craft a wonderfully
obscene punk rock classic that’s a whole of fun.
“Freight Train” features an exhilaratingly fierce acoustic riff. The fractious
vocals and tune are spectacular. It sounds so busy and bustling that it’s easy
to forget that the only musical element at play is a guitar. It recalls the glory
days of Britpop in the best way.
Palpitating drums lead “Animal L