CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE
POCKET SYMPHONIES FOR LONESOME SUBWAY CARS
TOM16 | released: 06/11/2001 | CD
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01 We Have Mice
02 Tonight Was A Disaster
03 Suitcase In Hand
04 Caltrain Song
05 Dying Batteries
06 Oh, Contessa!
07 Bus Song
08 Yr Boyfriend
09 Casiotone For The Painfully Alone In A Green Cotton Sweater
10 Number Ten
11 Destroy The Evidence
12 Lesley Gore On The TAMI Show
13 Oh, Illinois!
14 The Subway Home
15 Air Port Samba
16 We Have Mice (Boombox Version)
"Pocket Symphonies for Lonesome Subway Cars" is the follow up to Owen Ashworth's debut album "Answering Machine Music: A Brief Album in Twelve Parts". His first, self-released CD created quite some buzz in the SF indie scene with the help of frequent live performances and the devoted support of college radio. "Answering Machine Music" was spinning over and over at the Tomlab -- we fell so much in love with it that we asked him to release his second album with us.
"Pocket Symphonies..." continues in Ashworth's tradition of using battery powered electronics and voice to create his tiny, tragic love songs. Several of the new tracks also feature live cello and drum accompaniment to Ashworth's minimalist electronic arrangements. The songwriting, production, and even Ashworth's singing voice are more confident and ambitious, making" 'Pocket Symphonies" a smart, original, and surprising pop album.
Whereas the songs on "Answering Machine Music" were intended to be heard as a series of musical answering machine messages, "Pocket Symphonies..." uses Ashworth's obsession with public transportation as its theme. The 16 songs on the album utilize trains, buses, subways, taxis, and airplanes to move along their lovesick characters and create an atmosphere of transition.
The theme of movement and change is also indicative of new directions for Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. With a recent film score completed, a third album in the works, and a US tour planned for the spring, we can expect a lot more surprises from Ashworth and Casiotone for the Painfully Alone in the future.