record of the day: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone--Etiquette (2006)

i really wish i could love this record.

but, alas, i can’t. the problem, as i see it, with Owen Ashworth’s Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is that he’s not quite sure what he wants his “band” to be. when listening to Etiquette, all of the elements are there—the pop hooks, the engaging lyrics, but his tone changes from track to track.

One minute Ashworth thinks he’s Stephin Merritt, the next Tom Waits, doing neither all that well. and that’s when he bothers to lay down the vocal track. a quarter of the record features guest vocalists (Dear Nora’s Katy Davidson sings lead on the brilliant “Holly Hobby” among the numerous guest appearances) and that’s only if you don’t count the throw-away track at the beginning of the record that reminds you what record you are listening to, as if you didn’t just put it in the CD player.

in the end, what should be a solid 30 minute pop record becomes a bit of a chore. the middle is solid, but the beginning and end are unfocused and at times downright schizophrenic—and not in a good Syd Barrett kind of way. Grade: B-