Casiotone for the painfully alone — Town Topic Ep

Casiotone for the painfully alone is the brainchild  of American film school drop out Owen Ashworth. And the projects name really tells you what to expect this its low grade/ lo-fi tinny synth pop music with a quirky, geeky and outsider tinge. Think early Anticon but with out the rap edge or a more up-beat John Maus & you’ll be close.

This is the projects 15th or 16th releasers since it’s beginnings in early 2000’s and I’ll have to say I’m quite taken by its quirky, wavering yet tuneful charm. Opening up we have Ice Cream Truck which is basically a  drum machine march, keyboard organ sound weaving out a quirky ice cream van like melody with Ashworth mumbling over the top, it feels like kidder garden They might be giants. Town Topic (instrumental) that feels like easy listening/ country groove gone wonky ‘n’ quirky theme song for a kids show from the early 80’s. The only downside about the whole thing is the 4 tracks only total 10 minutes running time in all ! so it’s hardly an ep more like a short single. Never the less in those 10 minutes Ashworth really does work his quirky and distinctive magic.

This little taster of Ashworth’s work has made me eager to hear some more of his work as  it’s playful, charming, lo-fi and original .so if you dig wonky, outsider gone wrong pop music  I’m sure you’ll  enjoy Casiotone for the painfully alone too.