Johnno Casson aka Snippet – Future
Melancholy Pop Music (Folkwit Records)
CD
/ DL
7 April 2017
8.75 / 10
Wonky pop maestro returns with his long anticipated
album.
It would go amiss to not start a review of Future
Melancholy Pop Music without mentioning the exhaustive talents of Wim
Oudijk. The Dutch musician, producer,
mixer and songwriter ‘met’ Johnno Casson on over the internet eight years ago
and worked together many many times.
Considered a virtual brother to Johnno, Wim was a self-taught musician
and formed the Navel Orange Choir in the late 70s, splitting in 1980 to give
way to Trespassers W who were a touring and recording fixture right up until
2000. A solo career then cemented the talents
of Wim. Johnno planned to visit The
Netherlands to meet up with Wim for the first time in the Summer of 2016 before
he became ill. He sadly passed away in
September.
Whilst Johnno Casson is an extraordinary
songwriter, the collaborative input of Wim cannot be ignored and it is an album
like Future Pop Melancholy Music that does him great justice. We’ve long been a fan of his music and seen it
develop over the last few years into something that deserves wider recognition
far more than it ever has done. This
collection of fifteen new songs, eight produced by Wim, sees Johnno play every
almost every instrument as well as being joined by Will Harris of the superb
mylittlebrother who gives guest vocals on two tracks with piano on another.
So what of the sound of Johnno? If you’re
unfamiliar then you’re missing a treat.
His brand of adult pop is second to none. Songs of depression and the classes, and
mentions of Donald Trump and racism are wrapped in some of the most fascinating
sugar coated music around. A CV of
working with the likes of Adrian Sherwood and Andrew Weatherall has clearly
served him well and his own brand of quirky addictive tunes has become a
trademark of its own.
Often thought provoking, the tracks on his new
album are possibly his best work to date.
From the opening Hold No Shame, a glittering, sparkling piece of atmospheric
beauty the scene is set to lead almost seamlessly into Middle Class Ways, a
track which has its finger so on the pulse of many peoples feelings today that
it should appeal to vast numbers of the UK.
In his own way, Johnno takes no prisoners on his new album, it’s clear
that he has poured vast amounts of his feelings into it – “Wim’s passing has
made me doubt things and with the songs coming out of a wonky heart I hadn’t
been sure they were any good at all, I allowed the depression and anxiety to
get in”.
There are elements of Ian Dury tucked away too –
those acute observations on real life that make us relate to them are all too
commonplace, and a connection to Cassons words is easy to make. Intended or not, you might notice some
similarities to classic songs too – the intro to Dumfounded may just have a nod
in the direction Bowie’s Ashes To Ashes, and Strawberry Fields Forever could be
tucked away in Marvellous Life a song so beautiful in its sadness that it once
more marks the sign of one of our most underrated songwriters. We’ve have often praised the prowess of
Johnno’s talents in these pages, and they just seem to grow and grow with each
release.
First single, Bad Man is an upbeat track bouncing
in pop glory, and to the other extreme Some Kid will have you feeling a lump in
your throat as the tale of young man losing his life after a night out with his
mates unfolds over some beautiful cello work courtesy of Claire Hollocks.
In Your Arms is a clever narrative of two
boyfriends, Casson and Harris fighting over one girl. It hops and skips along with clever rhyming
couplets and perfect musical interludes, and album closer I Leave It To You is
a story of regret and sadness, as voice and guitar describe moments which once
more leave the listener listening intently to some intelligent lyrics from an
artist clearly in his ascendancy.
Somewhere, Wim Oudijk is very proud.
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