‘Daisy Jones and the Six’: The fictional band that sounds better on paper

BY DAPHNE DLUZNIEWSKI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Daisy Jones and the Six, the fictional band of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2019 eponymous novel has finally been given a voice. The band’s album “Aurora” was first concocted in the novel, an interview-style narrative that explores the band’s rise to fame decades after its abrupt split in the late 1970s. The record came off the pages Friday when it launched in tandem with the first three episodes of the new “Daisy Jones and the Six” series on Amazon Prime.

Throughout the book, Reid goes to great lengths to describe the musical quality of each song and even includes a full “Aurora” tracklist with accompanying lyrics. In an interview with Penguin Random House, Reid attributes her inspiration for the story to ’70s music icons. She explains that she “started with the germ of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham,” which shaped the fictional group’s dynamics off of Fleetwood Mac.

The band’s lead musicians, Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, are portrayed by actors Riley Keough and Sam Claflin. For their roles, Keough and Claflin underwent vocal and instrumental training to fully embody their characters instead of using body and voice doubles. Given the actors’ lack of prior musical experience, their performance on the album is commendable.

“Aurora” was produced by Blake Mills, whose recent projects include Marcus Mumford’s “Self-Titled” and Jack Johnson’s “Meet the Moonlight.” He enlisted the songwriting expertise of Mumford and other prominent artists like Jackson Browne and Phoebe Bridgers to craft the rock-style album.

Mills’s production stays true to the ’70s style, but the near-total abandonment of the book’s original songs and lyrics is wildly disappointing. Though creative flexibility can be expected when musicians are adapting a non-musician’s work, the departure from the fictional pieces translates into a loss of emotional and narrative integrity for fans of the novel.

The band offered a teaser of its discography with the release of two singles, which excited fans who were prepared to hear the songs they had been reading about finally come to life. But while both songs were technically included in the book, they stray from the original lyrics and meaning. “Regret Me,” the first single released Jan. 25, maintains the classic rock style that readers imagine Daisy Jones and the Six to produce, but the new words create a disconnect from the characters and have a sonically awkward flow.

The second single, “Look At Us Now (Honeycomb),” was released Feb. 15. The progression of the melody and the pre-bridge guitar solo echo Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.” In the book, the song is the band’s biggest hit, and although this is believable for the first three minutes of the song, it ends up devolving into a repetitive and seemingly never-ending loop that prompts listeners to skip to the next track.

The rest of the album delivered little improvement. The upbeat title track “Aurora” begins the album — in the novel, it is meant to be the foundation upon which the rest of the album is built. While the released track starts off maintaining its theme from the novel — having an anchor during tough times — the sound quickly becomes disorienting and hectic, and it is difficult to discern what it is supposed to be about near the end. The track that was supposed to be the band’s grand statement is nothing particularly memorable.

The next two songs, “Let Me Down Easy” and “Kill You To Try,” continue building on the album’s quick-tempo ’70s rock feel. The former’s percussion and the latter’s background vocals are once again reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac’s blues-rock style.

The album’s mood then shifts with “Two Against Three,” which helps round out the record despite not appearing in the novel. The song’s pace is much slower, featuring only Keough’s voice over a gentle guitar strum. The track allows Daisy’s fragile yet talented character to shine through at last, and it provides a refreshing mid-album rest from the first three songs. played with three different programs. The most famous of which — Shattuck-St. Mary’s — has been responsible for helping launch the careers of many other hockey superstars.

“You Were Gone” continues the mellow atmosphere with a strong bridge and full-band harmony that also feels Fleetwood Mac-esque. It is followed by “More Fun to Miss,” whose bold and entertaining delivery from Keough makes it an interesting listen.

The lowest point of the album is “Please.” Its production feels out of place with the rest of the tracks and Claflin’s voice does not fulfill the powerful vocals needed for this type of song. While “Please” is from the book, it was supposed to be written by Daisy Jones and thus should have remained her song. Instead, the vocal perspective shifts to Billy and focuses on his struggles with addiction during the band’s tours. The album would have been better off completely nixing the song altogether.

The final two songs help close the album on a better note. Claflin and Keough’s voices play off each other well in “The River,” and their harmonies add a level of tension that is the hallmark of their characters’ relationship. The album closes with “No Words,” which provides a calming conclusion and delivers a goodbye from the fictional band that will never again reunite to create music.

The tracks themselves are catchy, but musically, they are nothing impressive. The producers and writers could have gotten away with this Fleetwood Mac imitation by sticking with the original songs. But by trying too hard to make it an entirely new record, “Aurora” comes across as a disappointing, wannabe rock album that leaves fans of the book confused and those unfamiliar with the source material unimpressed.

“Daisy Jones and the Six” has yet to make its final mark on the world. The show will continue to release episodes weekly on Amazon Prime Video, with the finale set to air on March 24.

She was part of the Canadian team for the U18 Women’s World Championships in 2022, which won the whole tournament. Jade Iginla helped score three points over the course of the tournament including a goal and two assists, one of which came in the championship game against the U.S.

“I think there’s always so much pride in getting to represent your country, and it was (an) even better experience because we won,” Jade Iginla said.

In the fall of 2022, she joined the Bears hockey team out of a desire to compete in a highly competitive conference that boasts four of the top 10 teams in the country and six of the top 15.

“I wanted a great education and I was really excited about the opportunity to help build a program and play a role in that alongside great people,” she said.

When she came to the University, Ruzzi was excited to work with the rising star, believing Jade Iginla would fit well into the rebuilding dynamic that Brown was trying to establish.

“When piecing together our first recruiting class, we looked at players that could play at a high pace and (with) an aggressive style,” Ruzzi wrote. “Scoring is a premium in any program, so having that specific skill set was important for Brown to move up in the league.”

Ruzzi also emphasized the value of Jade Iginla’s “competitive edge.”

“Skill is one thing, but to have the drive to win every battle is why (Jade Iginla) was the perfect player to continue the grit that defines Brown women’s hockey,” she wrote.

Teammate and fellow forward Olivia Williamson ’25 was also energized by the prospect of a teammate with successes like Jade Iginla.

“It was really exciting,” Williamson said. “The focus of our program … in the coming years is … to build Brown hockey back to where it used to be.” Williamson said that bringing in a “phenomenal player” like Jade Iginla was “a big step forward for our

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program.”

Jade Iginla’s ability to score and create opportunities was nearly unparalleled this season. She has led the team in scoring and has had four different multi-goal games including a hat trick against Rensselaer.

She has excelled in making short-handed goals, which are scored when a team has fewer players than its opponent on the ice. Jade Iginla’s three short-handed goals led the ECAC and were fourth overall in the nation.

Williamson expressed admiration for Jade Iginla’s “hockey IQ,” calling it “unmatched.”

“I think IQ comes from watching hockey,” Jade Iginla said. “I watched a ton of hockey just growing up watching my dad and watching the NHL and then slowly watching more of the women’s game as I’ve gotten older.”

Her passion for the game persists both on and off the ice, as she takes every opportunity to improve in the sport, Williamson said.

“She’s there at the skill sessions and having meetings with the coaches,” Williamson added. “That is what it takes to truly be a successful hockey player. Anyone on the team could see it clear as day that her passion for hockey is just so high.”

“She was really able to be herself early on, and I think the coaches are a big part of that,” Williamson said.

Jade Iginla credits much of her success this season to the support of her coaches and the play of her teammates in allowing her to adapt to the new environment with ease, considering her Co-Rookie of the Year Award more than an individual achievement.

“I’m fortunate to play alongside great teammates and have coaches that support me and give me lots of opportunities,” Jade Iginla said.