Badly Drawn Boy

I wish someone had warned me that Damon Gough (a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy) let the concept of his new album, Born in the U.K., massively transform his recording style into something unfamiliar to what listeners have become accustomed to. The introduction, for example, totally threw me off. Born in the U.K. starts off with a quiet, introspective piano piece congruent to what Badly Drawn Boy listeners would expect, only to be quickly transitioned into the historically referencing title track - a driving piano number which has the acoustics of having been recorded in a large auditorium, and is decidedly Elton-esque.

In fact, I was disappointed to discover that Gough has strayed away in general from the experimental feel of his previous releases, such as his critically acclaimed debut The Hour of Bewilderbeast and his original score for the film About a Boy. It seems like Gough has separated himself from the indie roots which gave him his most success; he's traded his campy woodland acoustic feel for a more studio-oriented one, which is now suspended by piano ballads and electric guitars. Therefore, it would be my guess that his latest release shouldn't command as much acclaim as the revolutionary Bewilderbeast. Frankly, if Badly Drawn Boy had released this album as his debut instead, I don't believe his career would have taken off. And if it reaches any point higher on the Billboard charts than his works of yore, I would guess that it would have to do entirely with his accumulated success from previous records.

Aurally speaking, much of this album is very unclear. Some lyrics are buried and hard to pay attention to. Instruments work against each other and create a barricade of noise, blocking the ears from being able to pick out the delicate sinews Gough has been known to weave so nicely. This is especially apparent in "Journey From A to B," where so many vocal layers are added that the song sounds especially thick - too thick to swallow easily. Other tracks simply lack the maverick melody progression and variation known to listeners from Gough's better work.

Born in the U.K. does have some shiny tracks thrown in that prevent the record from being too disappointing, however. "Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind," for example, though still a piano-heavy ballad, actually uses variation to keep things interesting. I found myself getting bored with the song "Promises" at the second chorus, until it was suddenly saved by an unexpected steady, driving bass line. The same can be said for "Without a Kiss," which was almost lost in the monotony of the rest of the album until an unconventional drum beat met progressively with elegant piano lines. And by the third to last track, "Walk You Home," I finally felt like I was actually listening to Badly Drawn Boy again; its melody and beat were unmistakable.

It may be taken as a compliment when I say that Born in the U.K. reminded me a bit of another great British classic, Elton John; but then again, I didn't choose to review an Elton John album, and so this record didn't live up to my expectations (seriously, enough damn piano sagas). At the very least, however, I feel that it's important to be proud of where you're from. And in that concern, Damon Gough has hit it spot on.

- Tyler Merkel

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