Alone-Pocket Symphonies [Import]

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 1, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: PID
• ASIN: B000EBG0CW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When you were mine, April 23, 2007

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Young Shield (Audio CD)

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone specializes in sparkly, twinkly electronica and mournful lyrics -- basically, exactly what the band name promises. And they deliver in the brief, poignant "Young Shields," a shimmering, polished little EP full of uncertainty.

They tackle the sound of angsty, angry youth in the title song. "There's a shield around us/we are heady, we are groundless/and we burn our friends and kill their names/build insecure and petty fames... send a letter to mom and dad/'Mom and Dad, the money's running out,'" Owen Ashworth sings over murky keyboard and a skipping drum machine.

He follows it up with the slower, funkier "When You Were Mine," where Ashworth laments, "You let all my friends/come over to eat/and you were so strange/you didn't even have the decency to change the sheets." Be rounds the EP off with the blippering organ of "Roberta C," and finally the gentle, soft, low-key ballad "Subway Home."

I first got involved with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone after a breakup, in the sort of mood where you just want something mournful. And with having three B-sides in addition to the title song, "Young Shields" is a pretty good introduction to their mixture of melancholy and solid, atmospheric electronica.

Most of that comes from the lyrics, which give the impression of being lost in a dark, unhappy world where it's hard to connect to anyone. But there's a hint of satire in his writing, in the song about angry nihilistic kids are so, so bad and crazy and angry... yet whine to their parents for money, and lament at the end: "Got a letter from Mom and Dad/I swear to God they don't get me at all."

Ashworth's instrumentation is actually pretty simple -- drum machines and casiotone, which forms a delicate web of music, whether it's funky beats or delicate murky sounds. And Ashworth's own spoken vocals are placed over it, which is only a mistake in the soft "Subway Home," which gets overwhelmed by his monologue.

"Young Shields" is a good introduction to Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and a solid collection of the best new material, paired with some excellent B-sides. Definitely worth checking out.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great music!, March 2, 2006

By 

Lolita Haze (berkeley, ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Young Shield (Audio CD)

I love this. It's happy, mopey, pop indie electronica. Highly recommend checking it out!