47. Single Review of Disco Helmet Man by Neccos for Breakfast

Originally published on September 27, 2024

About the Artist

I’m honestly really excited to do this review. Neccos for Breakfast actually submitted a request for a review for a song called Nerd Rock from their album More Like Me. Unfortunately, the album came out last year and I am trying very hard to remain steadfast to my current release initiative. NFB took this as high road as anybody could and he continued to support, participate, and initiate the philosophy we are trying to enact here at Fifteen Minutes of Fame. He’s been an ambassador for independent artists. A passionate one. 

He’s not only a participant with FMOF, he is also a blog creator himself, starting the blog reviews “Neccos for Breakfast Deep Dives,” utilizing the hashtag #communityovercompetition, a mantra that similarly aligns with that of ours here at FMOF.   There’s no way to repay that kind of person. On the days where I feel like I’m wasting my time, I’m not helping anybody, or I fear failure, I can always count on seeing something from Neccos for Breakfast that hypes me back up. He is truly epic in that way. 

Neccos for Breakfast is now a project by Daniel who is from Cleveland, Ohio. They have been a recording artist since 2000, with their release of the album Blue Hair Day. With a style similar to grunge-era bands like Weezer, The Presidents of the United States of America, and others, Neccos for Breakfast pack a powerful punch with an uplifting and fun energy. 

It would be 23 years before his next release. More Like Me, the second album by Neccos for Breakfast, showed the same familiarity from Blue Hair Day, but with a significant growth musically and in the production value of their performance. “Their music speaks to all, but with a special nod to misfits, deep-thinkers, and all those misunderstood creative minds out there.” (Spotify bio)

Their first two releases featured a partnership with a second member. Now, Daniel has taken it upon himself to uphold the legacy of Neccos for Breakfast. 

About the Song

Disco Helmet Man is a grunge/surf rock song that is performed, engineer, and produced ALL by Daniel, now upholding the legacy of Neccos for Breakfast on his own. With a runtime of roughly two and a half minutes, it features vocal performances, layered guitars, bass guitar, drums, and synth/keyboard parts.

About the Music

The song opens with a very short acapella intro that has a spacey sound effect, then goes right into the first verse which is a very open, distorted surf punk feel. The progression showcases a couple of varieties of the “Bobby Chord Progression” The full band is utilized from this point throughout the full piece. 

The first verse transitions into the chorus, which utilizes a very cool combination of chord progression, starting again with the Bobby, but throwing in an interesting variety to give it a unique spin. This goes into a spacey/synthy bridge that features a very cool guitar solo. It’s not a busy guitar solo, but it highlights the uniqueness of the bridge. The drums also open up her, really showcasing the musician’s versatility. 

The bridge transitions right back into the final chorus and closes in epic fashion. 

Vocally, the performance is very reminiscent of a Weezer-esque performance. The lead vocals are very strong and the backing vocals are a pleasant sounding support the the lead. The tonal quality of the vocal performance is spot on. I wouldn’t change or tweak a single thing. The vocal performance perfectly aligns with the instrumentation of the song.

About the Lyrics

I couldn’t understand all of the lyrics but I feel confident in most of what I heard. Disco Helmet Man is told in the form of a storyteller narrating the legacy of a “Disco Helmet man.”

The song comes in with an introductory reference to a later line featured in the chorus “Look at those legs and fingers.”

For the verse, the lyrics are “Disco Helmet Man. When you keep on broke you make me sad. And when the haters started hating said that you should not be playing, well it kinda made me made.” So the narrator seems to be speaking of the subject but he could be speaking to him. It also could be a “man on the shoulder” situation where the Disco Helmet Man is doubting his destiny and this man on the shoulder is telling him to shut out the noise and do what he is meant to do. In fact, this could be an analogy for Daniel himself on pondering whether or not to continue with Neccos for Breakfast without his long-time partner.

For the chorus, the lines are “Cuz you’re a disco helmet man. A synth-pop troubadour. Your fingers are on fire and your legs are kicking higher (this line omitted because I can’t quite understand it) Of a disco helmet man.” The chorus seems to confirm the overall theme of what the verse seems to acknowledge. The verses emphasize the doubt, or disbelief. The chorus comes in and offers assurances. 

If I am correct in my assessment, it seems as though the narrator is sending a message to tell listeners to “go for it.” Sometimes, we doubt ourselves. Sometimes we are our very worst critics. Especially in the world of independent musicians, the numbers are against us. There’s an easy solution: don’t do it for the numbers! We want to be heard and we will be. It may be by 10 people or it may be by 10,000. Both scenarios are equally as important. 

I’ve experienced playing on big stages in front of giant crowds. I’ve also experienced playing in dive bars with a dozen people in the building. Michael Jordan once said, “If you play your heart out for the name on the front of your jersey, people will never forget the name on the back of it.” That essentially means to stay true to your passion. If you remain steadfast, you will make a difference. 

Is this what Daniel meant? I’ve no idea. But the point of this analysis, once again, is not to correctly guess what the writer is trying to say. It’s to convey what I took from it. When you listen to Disco Helmet Man, you may come up with your own interpretation. I hope you do. 

Final Thoughts

So, after I began writing this review, I discovered on social media that Daniel is experiencing some hardships regarding effects of the hurricane. So many lives have been lost, homes lost, possessions ruined. Entire cities have been leveled. It’s a very hopeless feeling, to witness nature enact its will with no regard to the people in its path. 

Fortunately, Daniel is safe and unharmed. But he has experienced some hardships with no power, no running water, no fuel, and no cellular service in his community. I want everyone to experience success within the FMOF community, but what a gift it would be if we could encourage as many people as possible to go stream this song. It’s not much, of course. It’s a small gesture. But it would be great to see our community come together to make some sort of impact. 

I love this song. I think it is performed wonderfully, from a musical perspective, and I really dig the lyrical message. It is absolutely uplifting. It is meaningful. It is definitely fun. Make sure you follow Neccos for Breakfast on all of his social media platforms. Make sure to also check out the work he is doing with his own blog and take some time to examine those featured artists as well!