Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
Vs. Children
(Tomlab, 2009)

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, aka singer-songwriter Owen Ashworth, has always excelled at describing the difficulties of emerging adulthood: Leaving home, struggling on your own, floundering in a sea of young people just as confused and in search of meaning as you are. Often his characters wax philosophical with their dorm-room brand of existentialism, then drink and then have sex, meaningless or otherwise. They are about as complicated and emotional as his band moniker is emo. But on Vs. Children, like the title suggests, he ponders what happens when those barely past childhood have children themselves. The result: They rarely keep them.

Vs. Children could double as a highly effective form of birth control. These stories are so compellingly well-written, darkly realistic, and more-than-occasionally tragic. On “Killers”, the monotonous clacking of the percussion is the sound of a ticking time bomb—in this case, a fetus. It ominously soundtracks a could-be father’s imploring lyrics: “You know I meant what I said / I think you’ll be a good mother, but honey look at us now / We barely support each other.” On “Northfield, MN”, a couple drops their infant off at grandma’s, knowing full well it will be the last time that mother will ever see child, as she and her beau depart for an ill-fated heist and subsequent car crash. Every line is sung with trembling anxiety, as in, how did we get here and, more importantly, how do we get out?

Ashworth’s deep and throaty voice gives each character an articulation that, while unsure of their future, is imbued with disarming dignity. What is especially noteworthy is his ability to sing from the female first-person perspective with a sensitivity reserved for the best of authors. The way the girl protagonist in “Harsh the Herald Angels Sing” rides the bus to the free clinic—a result of the “hex of unfettered sex” with her headphones on but no music playing, hoping no one sits next to her, is downright devastating. I nearly forget Ashworth is even singing. The ample narrative detail, enough to fill entire novels, is enveloping.

If it sounds like a dour theme, story after story about abortions and criminals, well, it is. But luckily the music isn’t. Adhering to his usual lo-fi aesthetic, CFTPA infuses his usual sound with lush organ drones, heavier keyboards, and more rhythmic percussion. Musical accents like the brisk drumming of “Natural Light” and the buoyant “When the Saints Go Marching In” coda of “Optimist vs. the Silent Alarm” all contribute to an album of effortlessly textured, catchy, and thoughtful songs. The tempos are also more upbeat even if the narratives are not.

Of course, not all the tracks stick with the impending-child-anxiety theme, but regardless of what he is singing about, these are more than songs, they are vignettes. Some tracks even possess insanely specific titles of the scenes they present. Take, for instance, “Tom Justice, the Choir Boy Robber, Apprehended at Ace Hardware in Libertyville, IL” or “Traveling Salesman’s Young Wife Home Alone on Christmas in Montpelier, VT.” Ultimately, it’s this attention to detail that makes this album one deserving of your utmost consideration and worthy of repeat listens. Because every time I hear it, a new gem of a line pops out amidst the melodies. And like the best of songs, they stay in your mind well after the listening ends.

Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]