Send "Casiotone For The Painfully Alone " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Drownedinsound |
 Owen Ashworth has achieved that most difficult of things – in an impossibly crowed field, he’s carved out a unique and recognisable voice among indie songwriters. Just as Jeffrey Lewis conjures urban neurosis, or Stephin Merritt unrequited love, so mention Casiotone For The Painfully Alone and you’re immediately struck by images of wayward twentysomethings, whiling away their post-college days working in cafes or fumbling aimlessly on the dancefloor. It’s no mean feat, testament to Ashworth’s ability as a songwriter that he has a niche to himself. Like Belle And Sebastian’s early records ten years ago, he’s captured a particular student zeitgeist, a world of scrabble, familial alienation and university loans.Yet, though Ashworth clearly writes from experience, it’s important to recognise that he is just that – a writer, not a documentarian. The use of female vocals on his last, most celebrated record, Etiquette, furthered that message – these aren’t Ashworth’s stories per se, just ones he’s written. In an interview here he explains that he makes music: “because film is too expensive”. There is something beautifully filmic about Ashworth’s songs, short glimpses into the daily routines of his characters - their emotions gleaned more by their actions than their personal thoughts....full text |
| Musicomh |
| This collection of singles and rarities from Owen Ashworth, who records under the accurately descriptive moniker of Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, will serve well for listeners new to the artist as well as those who are already fans. All but two of the tracks that make up Advance Base Battery Live, originally released between 2004 and 2007, are on CD for the first time here, having previously been put out as 7" split singles or compilation tracks. They provide a helpful and - mostly - enjoyable overview of the scope of Ashworth's work. Broadly, the tracks can be divided into categories. Firstly there are those with shared collaborative vocals, like opener Old Panda Days (featuring Canadian Nick Kgrovich, from P:ano and No Kids). Here, the two voices combine well, to create a warm intimate vocal sound that works well against the glitchy backing, giving this song of youthful urban alienation ("I've been searching this town / And all I have found / Are nights of bad sex, with stupid boyfriends I shouldn't have kept") a feeling of nostalgia rather than the coldness that the lyrics might suggest....full text |
| Nme |
| Facts about this album: 'Advance Base Battery Life' collects all the seven-inch singles and compilation tracks released by Casiotone For The Painfully Alone between 2004 and 2007. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, aka Owen Ashworth, studied film at college before dropping out 'Advance Base Battery Life' contains covers of songs by Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon....full text |
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone lyrics
|
