Winter is nearly upon us and as the sun begins to set earlier and earlier a sense of general malaise seems to descend. Therefore it seems fitting that in these circumstances, one would turn to the comfort of strangely pleasant pre-made casio beats and depressing lyrics.
Well thats what college dropout Owen Ashworth does as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and the season is all the better for it. Having just gotten my hands on a copy of 2006’s Etiquitte, I am just starting to develop that sense of album familiarity. This followed my great excitement of coming accross something that, although is extremely simple and almost childlike is great. Maybe it’s because it’s childlike and simple, I don’t know.
With lyrics ranging from broken pearl necklaces to moving to a new city and feeling alone or trying to get yourself together as a young adult, (“Since September I’ve been 26 years old she’s still the only one besides my dad who’s ever said I love you Creedence”) all sung over casio beats and the odd ‘real’ musical instrument, Ashworth accurately captures the sense of being a young adult today, the quarter life crisis playing out with a child’s keyboard in the background reminding us that playtime is over and we have to be adults now. Or whatever that means.
But not all hope is lost, with lyrics such as “I’m sorry that you fell but you should have known just as well you’re just a hobby Holly” and “Scrabble high score 409″, Ashworth is able to hit a few nerves while still retaining a sense of humour about the whole thing.
Other discs by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone include:
Answering Machine Music – 1999
Pocket Symphonies for Lonesome Subway Cars – 2001
Twinkle Echo – 2003
