Customer Reviews

Etiquette

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

"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.

1 Etiquette I.D. 0:05
2 New Years Kiss 1:53
3 Young Shields 3:57
4 I Love Creedence 2:37
5 Nashville Parthenon 3:41
6 Scattered Pearls 3:11
7 Happy Mother's Day 0:43
8 Holly Hobby 3:23
9 Cold White Christmas 5:58
10 Bobby Malone Moves Home 3:05
11 Don't They Have Payphones Wherever You've Been Last Night 2:42
12 Love Connection 4:18

i saw this guy open for david bazan a few months ago and i was impressed with his set. while it may not be as good as david bazan (no one is in my humble opinion) this is a solid album with some great tracks. check out cold white christmas, bobby malone, and new years kiss. if you like those try and catch him live because believe me the live show is better.

This release has plenty of music to please the old and young. Compared to the postal service in many reviews i've read, this goes far beyond postal service. Warm melodies, great lyrics, and impressive vocals makes this one of the best releases of 2006. The older crowd (or open mined crowd) will enjoy "holly hobby", "bobby malone moves home", "don't they have payphones...", "cold white christmas", "new years kiss". Those mention tracks are melodic, soothing, with powerful heart felt lyrics. The upbeat tracks..."young sheilds", "scattered pearls", "nashville parthenon", "i love creedence", still carry on with the melodies & great lyrics, and would be choice for club remixers. Amazon should have sound clips for this wonderful release. Not to be missed!!!

Ill be the first to say that Owen is the F-ing man and constructs some of the hardest sounds that can be found today or tonight. This music evokes isolation as well as a hopefulness that many artists struggle to achieve.

Try "young shields" next

I played a show with this guy in Knoxville Tennessee. Great guy and the cd is great, but it can't really capture how awkward and hilarious he is on stage. great show... wow.