Search - Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Cftpa :: Etiquette

I am somewhat pleased with this music

The Last Person You'd Expect | Seattle, WA United States | 08/29/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was a little late in picking this one up and was thrilled that I did; it's a little bit better than standard indie rock, taking ideas from all over the map. On Etiquette, Casiotone's fourth album, Owen Ashworth uses 'clickier' style beats like the Postal Service, but tends to be a little more forceful and diverse, electronically, than that band. While the bands' name suggests an emphasis on this aspect-- the electronics-- the spotlight is concentrated more on Ashworth's lyrics and melody. This, I would compare much of it to Steven Malkmus (but not Pavement) or the Silver Jews. A laid-back, 'cool' singing style which on a couple of tracks, 'Bobby Malone' or 'Cold White Christmas,' echo The Hold Steady.



Etiquette is on the edgier end of the spectrum. Ashworth's strengths lie in his lyrics and the rich textures of background sound. The song-writing is usually very good, while forgettable in more than a few places. To add additional diversity to the record, there's a female vocalist on a couple of tracks, contributing a hint of twee-pop and a couple of short breaks from Ashworth's strong but sweet baritone."

The Definition of Indietronica

Stevens | 06/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is the musical alias of 28 year old American film school drop-out Owen Ashworth. Ashworth began making music in 1997 after he realized that song-making was a far more cost-effective means of storytelling than film-making." So begins Owen Ashworth's biography on the Casiotone for the Painfully Alone website.



Ashworth, whose unusual combination of narrative lyrics and battery-operated keyboard sounds, has reaffirmed the public's positive outlook on Lo-Fi indietronica and received only praise from fans, peers and press alike.



Full of haunting songs of solitude set to symphonic battery-operated opulence, this album isn't one to miss for anyone who swoons for mordant electro-pop sensations."