Murray A. Lightburn. Now there's a name to conjure with. And here's a record to listen to. His new album, Hear Me Out, released a few weeks back. Lightburn was formerly, (may still be, not sure), lead singer of The Dears, a band who have gained a few plaudits over the years. I don't really know their stuff but judging by this, perhaps I should investigate.
Because Hear Me Out is really rather a lovely record. The term Chamber Pop comes to mind to give you a general idea of what's going down here, with touches of Soul, Country and Folk somewhere in the mix. Gentle and finely crafted, vaguely orchestral pop songs, the kind of thing that those of us who pine for Alternative Pop Worlds would people our charts with. Lightburn sounds like the kind of person who would never push himself to the front of any queue, ( even at times as if he's resigned to standing in it forever ), so I guess it's for the likes of me, doing things like this, to make the word for artists like him and try to make his case. Spread the word.
I heard about this record from the A Pessimist is Never Disappointed, the blog listed on the right hand side of this page. It's one of my favourites and has directed me to any number of great records over the years. Richard Hell made a comment once about the importance of radio in the Sixties and Seventies as a secret network connecting like-minded souls. I guess personalised music blogs serve a similar purpose in the here and now.
Anyhow, I digress. Back to Lightburn and this really rather lovely record. Because lovely is the word I keep coming back to it while listening to this in the early morning and writing about it too. Hey, I can multitask! As A Pessimist is Never Disappointed suggests, his voice and the tone and mood of his songs are reminiscent of Paul Weller when he finds the right track on his way down a reflective path. The songs also draw on the mid to late Sixties when so many people were doing this kind of thing so well. Make your own list, but I would definitely recommend that you have a listen to Hear Me Out in order to help you do so. I very much doubt that you'll regret doing so.
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