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Daniel Johnston: "Freedom" (Live at Waterloo Records) (Video)

8:35 a.m. · December 2, 2009 · by Nick Neyland

Daniel Johnston has returned with a new album titled Is and Always Was, which matches him with a full band and may be the most slick and professional-sounding record of his career. Surprisingly, it works well, with the subtle addendums adding some pleasant new textures to his songs.

Johnston is from Texas, so it's fitting that he performed an in-store at the excellent Waterloo Records in Austin. This clip shows the good feeling that flows toward him in his home state, and he responds in kind by playing a stripped-down, touching, and uproariously received version of “Freedom” from Is and Always Was.