By Kevin Scott
Benjamin Shaw doesn’t so much wear his heart on his sleeve as beam it into the sky like a sort of troubadour superhero, which isn’t to say he has super powers, more a canny knack for tapping into our feelings of melancholy and turning them into whimsical lo-fi songs, which in this instance are brought together under the somewhat incongruous titled of Goodbye, Cagoule World.
The album doesn’t so much as leap out the speakers with big poppy hooks, but rather takes its time to penetrate. This is no bad thing.
Opener ‘No One’ begins with voiceovers and strings before a whisper of feedback begins to intrude. It feels as if the instruments are subtlety moving into range, eventually nestling around the listener and providing a comforting warmth. Accompanied by the sound of running water. Because this is experimental music and that’s the sort of thing that happens. It may not seem necessary, but it is. It adds another subtle dimension, and that’s where Shaw seems to excel - in adding to basic tracks and building them into true soundscapes that genuinely resonate. And all this before Shaw's achingly melancholic vocal reveals itself. It is not a voice that could belt out a stadium anthem but its fragility is well suited to the lo-fi sound and production. We're almost four minutes into the track when violins sweep in and Shaw delivers his opening line: “No one can love like I do because you never leave the flat." On paper it reads so straightforward. In song it sounds like a heart breaking.
‘Always With The Drama’ continues this in-depth lament of life and love. The lyrics are sharp, at times sarcastic, but always riveting. There’s plenty of instruments on the go here too; strings cleverly utilised behind a simple bassline and electronic murmurings. Later on, in the background brass (yes, brass to join the strings!) is added to lift the whole mood. It's filmic, the soundscapes performing a key role in scene setting.
There's no shortage of melancholy in indie music, but Shaw doesn't hide behind a guitar or abstract lyrics loaded with obscure subtext. As proven on the wonderfully rousing ‘You & Me', this is a man whose emotion is embodied on his guitar pick, the tip of his tongue and his fingertips. It's gorgeous stuff. Its main issue may be a lack if accessibility; it’s not going to appeal to all (the instrumental ‘A Day in the Park’ for example, feels a little disjointed and without structure though does have fun moments), but there’s a little bit of ‘Goodbye, Cagoule World’ in all of us.
There are just seven tracks here - closing with the title track - running to just 29 minutes, but it feels whole. “I’m not the problem, I’m perfectly fine,” sings Shaw on this closer, and you get the feeling he is. It’s a rich and honest album, and one well worth exploring.
