Loner - Western Sci-Fi (Just)
3/5
By: Stephen Maughan
I'm all for melancholy. After all, some of the greatest music has been released by loners and outsiders, and there is evidence of overdosing on Leonard Cohen, Mark Kozelek, and Johnny Cash whilst sitting in a bedsit surrounding by photos of long lost friends and girlfriends which can distinctively be heard on this sophomore album from a young man man called Geoff Smith, who would rather we call him Loner.
"I used to know your pain, I use to know your heart beat at any given time..." he informs us on the typically bleak 'The Fire You Had'. Pouring your soul over a piano and a classic drum beat is all very well, but a few songs in and you start to wonder exactly where all this is heading. By the time we get to track 4, 'I'm Not Sorry', where Loner sings "The lights are on but I'm alone - thinking where things are going, thinking where they have gone" it becomes apparent that some endurance is needed to sit through twelve songs of this, dare I say the word, self-pitying?
What is good about Western Sci-Fi is that it's technically well made, as you would expect from someone who has been playing piano from the age of 8. At times it's even beautiful - an intriguing mix with acoustic sounds, a haunting voice, and classic beats. It comes as no surprise to learn Tim Simenon has signed Loner up to help with the new Bomb the Bass album.
Lyrically, it's faultless, and it's evident a great deal of thought and skill has gone into handcrafting the record as a whole. On tracks such as 'Already Numb' everything really does come together in a quite breathtaking fashion. The problem this is only on two or three songs, and Western Sci-Fi just feels too long and at times even has a dated and boring feel to it. If I think of someone like Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters, whose heartbreaking singing style can be felt here, it must be said Loner is a long way off. The world is full of heartbreak and sadness, but it takes a maverick to truly catch this essence in music and do something spectacular with it. Geoff Smith, self confessed loner, isn't quite there yet.
Still he must have done something right because as the CD draws to a close I feel increasingly bleak and pessimistic about things as I type this overlooking the Sussex countryside. I notice that the morning sun has been swallowed by dark clouds, and my sons' wendy house has been blown over by a sudden unexpected gush of wind. Ho-hum, life huh? Now, where's my old Beastie Boys record?
Artists in this article: Loner
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