Indie Light

Dan Avidan, who is also known professionally as Danny Sexbang, is an American musician and YouTuber. He’s had quite a prolific music career to date, having been a member of The Northern Hues, Skyhill, Ninja Sex Party, Starbomb, and most recently Shadow Academy. He’s even collaborated with the Super Guitar Bros before, and you can check that out here. Overall, Dan is an incredibly talented and passionate vocalist, and I’m glad he collaborated with the Super Guitar Bros again.

Speaking of which, I absolutely adore the Super Guitar Bros, who are of course Steven Poissant, who plays the steel string guitar, and Sam Griffin who plays the nylon string guitar. They have a thriving YouTube channel, where they produce fantastic instrumental melodies blending classical and acoustic guitar styles. We’ve covered the Super Guitar Bros before on the site as well, and you can click here to check that out for yourself. Today, though, I’ll be reviewing their album ‘Dan Avidan & Super Guitar Bros 2’ which was released June 23rd 2023.

‘Time Stand Still’ kicks off with melodic acoustic guitar, perfectly supporting Danny’s vocals, his lighter toned vocals blending well with the guitars and the subtle percussion. I liked the backing vocals, which added that little extra something to the overall track. I’ve said before that Danny is a very talented vocalist, and you can definitely tell with this performance which is rich and engaging, and bolstered by some superb instrumental backing, that remains persistent throughout providing a perfect accompaniment to his singing. Knowing how much Dan likes Rush this song in particular feels like a labour of love, much the same way his covers of other Rush songs with NSP had that little extra magic because he truly loved the band. 

‘Don’t Stop Believin’ is an obvious classic and a personal favourite of mine, the guitar work on this by the Super Guitar Bros is especially good, they keep the core melody but add subtle embellishments that really add to the performance, even the differing guitar types played by the pair really add something special to the whole number. Not to date either of them, but both Dan and Journey are products of the 70s so I have to imagine music like this was a part of his childhood, and he really delivers this song with the intensity of someone who’s been singing this for his entire life.

‘Breathe’ has some truly breathtaking guitar sections throughout, pardon the pun, rich and halting melodies that just drip with the talent that makes the Super Guitar Bros ‘Super’ and not just a couple guys with guitars. Equally Dan more than does justice to this Pink Floyd classic. If you followed the link up above and read my review of the first collaboration between Dan and the Super Guitar Bros you’ll know that I really enjoyed them working together, I found the technical proficiency, talent, creativity and passion the Super Guitar Bros have as instrumentalist finds a twin flame in Danny’s artistry and vocal talents, and together they manage to create truly beautiful music together. I’m not a massive fan of Pink Floyd, and yet the collaboration together made this song even more beautiful than the original. 

‘Clocks’ is a song that I know really well, and while the different combination of instruments Coldplay uses vs what is used here create functionally very different songs, this is still a very engaging cover, Dan’s voice has a softness and subtlety that I felt was lacking in the original, and the comparatively stripped back melody creates by the Super Guitar Bros elevates the track, creating a richer and more complex number with less instruments overall. 

‘Shout’ is an absolute banger by the English pop rock group Tears for Fears, and it’s easily my favourite song by the group, which perhaps colours my opinion of this cover somewhat, but while Dan is an incredibly talented vocalist, and he does a good job with this track, it just didn’t hit quite right for me, which is strange because in his cover of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’, another awesome track by the group, he absolutely knocked it out of the park. The Super Guitar Bros really do a great job with this track though, as I touched on earlier they successfully balance faithfulness to the original track with finding their own little additions that flesh it out and make it their own.

‘Things Can Only Get Better’ is a truly superb cover of the Howard Jones track, both the Super Guitar Bros and Dan are firing on all cylinders with this version, creating a unique interpretation of the original that’s truly beautiful, Dan’s voice just does wonders for this track and you just get swept up in his performance, and the Super Guitar Bros match his tone and energy perfectly creating a really rhythmic guitar backing that ties the whole thing together nicely. 

‘Big Empty’ is a cover by Stone Temple Pilots and I’ll admit to not being familiar with the original band or number so while I cannot comment on how well it aligns or differs from the original I can say that this stood out among some incredible entries on this album as one of my personal favourites, Dan’s vocal performance on this track was soulful and vibrant and the instrumental backing by the Super Guitar Bros was subdued when required but nonetheless vital, with a vulnerability that comes across clearly throughout. 

‘Learn To Fly’ is a strong entry by the Foo Fighters, and it’s very suited to Dan’s voice, he brings a nice energy and lightness to the track, and he is matched and supported by the Super Guitar Bros, who blend into subtle percussion with truly sensational guitar work. There are many great tracks on this album, but I think this track takes the top slot for my personal favourite on the album. 

‘Karma Police’ is a Radiohead classic, and the original number is just hauntingly beautiful, and Dan easily does justice to the track, his voice very suited to the melody and style, it was just nosed out of the top slot by the previous entry, but it easily takes the number two slot for personal favourites on the album. I love the delicate and yet profound guitar work woven throughout, sometimes I just lose myself in the vocals, and Dan really gives it his all in this track but man the Super Guitar Bros are so incredibly talented that they make themselves present even in the softer and more subdued moments. 

‘Shape Of My Heart’ opens with some soft and melodic chords that just uplift and wrap around you as you listen. I’ve always enjoyed Sting, although for some reason I never really listened to this track much, but I’ll say that Dan’s voice works really well for this number and with the technical mastery of the Super Guitar Bros they create another strong interpretation that’s worth listening to regardless of your attachment to the original track. 

‘Today’s The First Day’ is originally sung by Bread, an American soft rock group from California, and while there are other songs on this album I like better, I think this one comes closest to capturing the energy and vibe of the original. Plus I like any song that reminds me of bread, or more specifically the frankly hilarious story of how that name came about. Anyways, returning to the track, this song has a lightness and an inherently chill vibe which Dan captures perfectly and overall it’s just another really strong entry on what has been an incredibly enjoyable album. 

‘Carry On Wayward Son’ is obviously by Kansas, and Dan’s voice and vocal range suit this song perfectly, so much so it was the song I was most excited to hear him perform when it was announced that it was on this album, and I was not disappointed he absolutely nails this. The true standout though for this has to be the guitars courtesy of the Super Guitar Bros, because the original has some nice guitar work, but it’s relatively simple all things considered, and yet you can feel all the work and skill and complexity they add to their version. 

‘Breathe (Reprise)’ closes us out quite nicely, I already talked about how much I liked the original and their cover, and this reprisal finishes things off beautifully. I cannot recommend this album highly enough. 

So that’s what I thought of Dan Avidan & Super Guitar Bros 2 and if you want to check that out for yourself then head on over to Spotify. You can support Dan Avidan by following him on Instagram or by checking out his Cameo.

You can support the Super Guitar Bros by checking out their YouTube channel, and by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.