One such band that I personally feel takes those two sides with effortless ease is Daniel G. Harmann & The Trouble Starts. I knew absolutely nothing about Daniel before the album Risk hit my inbox but soon after I was scouring the earth for everything. My goal was to figure out how such a simple but unique combination came from. All I figured out was that I love this album and simply it’s an honest album that dares to jump into genres and moods with trust that you do too. The album, entitled Risk, brings in The Trouble Starts to give Daniel’s solo work a few more pieces which succeeds on many levels. Half way through the album we are greeted with our first great rise of emotion with ‘Knob Creek Neat’ and its Sigur Ros guitar work plastering a feeling of complete bliss over the ears. Daniel’s voice knows when to take the lead and carry a song as with ‘Dee’ and then sits back and lets the song takeover for the best ending to a song I have heard all year. Couple other tracks from the album not to miss are ‘Brass Tacks’ and ‘The Horse & The Sistine Chapel.’

Have I given you at least a few reasons by now to be listening along reading this? There is no way I can pigeonhole this album to you but to say, buy it and if you at all relate to these past adventures in sound, you are in for a treat that either side of the Atlantic will enjoy. Old or new.”
- Pierre Wentz, WashedUpEmo.com

Risk has a lot of subtle elements that don’t come out the first time you listen to the album. While the focus of Harmann and his musicians is often on fairly laid back melodies that drive each song along, what listeners may not initially notice is that the material is all very textured and creates an enticing atmosphere. Admittedly there are a few tunes where it will take a few listens before the melodies really start to grab you, but when they do you’ll want to come back for more. What I also like about this album is the way in which it is able to mix the aforementioned genres together, as it gives Harmann and the Trouble Starts their own vibe. However, I do feel as though there is even more that the instrumentalists could do to further distinguish themselves and it will be interesting to see where they go in the future.

As you would expect from someone that started off as a solo artist without a backing band, Daniel G. Harmann has a great voice that often stands above the instrumentals and steals the spotlight. What I like about his voice is that he makes subtle changes to it to fit the instrumentals, always ensuring that his singing perfectly matches what the rest of the band is doing. In addition to this, Harmann has brought in some guest vocalists to give some of the songs melodic harmonies and this results in some larger than life moments that really stand out.

It took me about three times before Risk really made an impression me, but now that it has sunk in I can see myself returning to it again before the year’s end. While I can’t say that it will necessarily be anyone’s album of the year, those that give Daniel G. Harmann a chance will be pleased with what they discover. He’s definitely not an artist that can be lumped into one particular genre, and I expect that further down the road his material might head into a completely different direction.”
- Chris Dahlberg, Cosmos Gaming

My chief hang up with Risk is that Harmann and his group sound tired and uninterested. Now, considering the volumes of layers within (instrumentally Risk could put even an onion to shame), I doubt this is true beyond my own reading, but that does little to change my gut reaction. True, opener ‘We Are Professionals’ starts things off with a grand sense of wonder, but conversely never develops beyond that initial state of potential. Harmann’s voice sounds washed out and faded to the point of blending into the indeterminate, fuzzy backdrop. As becomes clear in the following track, ‘Solidarity,’ and those later like ‘I Became The Ground’ or ‘Lions,’ songs simply follow a pattern of soft, blurring chords layered under and punctuated by plenty of indistinguishable “ooos” and “aaahs” that drown out most vocal clarity.

Along those same lines, the music detracts from the apparent sense of lyrical direction. According to the band bio, songs like ‘I Became The Ground’ are about deeply personal times in Harmann’s life. Unfortunately, nothing ever comes across as such, with lyrics simply fading into one another, coming across as a faded, moaning mass of indistinguishable – albeit pleasant – noise. But while like-minded bands such as The Appleseed Cast achieve a sense of emotional investment through a variety of strategies, Harmann misses the mark, with every song blurring together, always shy of achieving any memorable or unique elements.

Risk isn’t a bad album, but takes very few chances and plays like a snoozer for those who, like myself, might want something a little more substantial to sink their teeth into. Normally I take kindly to abstract instrumentals and wispy vocal patterns, but Daniel G. Harmann & the Trouble Starts simply offers too much of an average thing, taking the ensuing monotony to the point of blandness. Unless you find yourself drawn to tiresome daydreams, Risk is worth little more than a curious listen.”
- ThePunkSite.com

Risk is an ambient pop record that fulfills a lot of needs. It’s otherwordly and dreamy enough to be a good 3 a.m. record, but it’s neither formless nor self-indulgent in being as such. Harmann is still a craftsman at heart, and these tunes have a focus – verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. He just happens to let the songs breathe, like on epic numbers ‘Solidarity’ and ‘Estrella.’ In a way, the group is like a less countrified Band of Horses, or perhaps a less paranoid Radiohead. Either way, they’re a little like the Long Winters, which is fitting since TLW bassist Eric Corson produced the album.

That said, this record doesn’t quite have BoH’s way with a hook. Risk has atmosphere to spare, but the songs blur together after a while. Sure, that’s part of the point of the style. And Harmann even breaks up the lengthier passages with potential singles like ‘The Horse & The Sistine Chapel.’ But this isn’t driving music, or party music, of fightin’ jock music. Make-out music, maybe; sleep/sleep-deprivation music, definitely.”
- Picassoblueyo.Blogspot.com

The band’s new album, Risk, isn’t necessarily a risk, even if the lyrics reflect risky behavior or the desire to take some chances.

Really it’s a beautifully composed album that’s perfect in many ways musically. There’s plenty of airy, sonic landscape without sacrificing any hooks.

There’s a fuzzy shoe-gaze like sound here mixed with the post-rock beauty and flair of bands like God is an Astronaut or Explosions in the Sky. Some songs do sound like pieces by those bands, but with lyrics to go with them.

This is a powerful album that can blow you away without having to feel loud or forced. There isn’t really a single disappointment here.

Risk isn’t a risk. It feels just right.

Grade: 9.5 Golden Eggs
- Buzzlegoose.com

Using vivid imagery, Harmann’s songs here detail personal accounts of hard labor, love for his family, battling demons, as well as several other pivotal topics in his life. A variety of different autobiographical stories are shared, and similarly Harmann and The Trouble Starts play an eclectic style of music that shares many different genres across the rock spectrum.

From gentle guitar strumming to louder, soaring moments, Harmann and company play soothing, gentle folk inspired rock that brings to mind lo-fi moments of Sebadoh or the melodic and fuzzy droning of bands like Sonic Youth. The occasional female backing voice makes this even more delicate, and the buzzing guitars are often only a starting places for building epics layers of melody that erupt into majestic tracks or warm instrumentation and warm harmonies.

As a reference point maybe think the sensibilities of Jeff Buckley crossed with the hauntingness of The Smiths with some Sigur Ros sprinkled on top. Well, even that comparison probably isn’t entirely accurate as Harmann is truly a unique songwriter, encompassing so many varied styles and sounds that even the most educated listener would have a hard time pinpointing this. Though at it’s core it is rock’n'roll disc, it moves from sparse to detailed, loud to soft, and pushes and pull with graceful tension, never staying in one place too long.

An amazing disc here, this needs to be listened to repeatedly to truly be appreciated- one of the years best for sure.”
- Go211.com