Monday 26th July: At just over three and a half minutes Lazy Susan, the newly released and incredibly catchy (I found myself singing it at work the day after first hearing it) single from Adam Dawson is by far the most radio-friendly of all the singer-songwriter's physically releases. (His previous, the album In The Beginning from 2004 is much more pastoral, almost contemplative.) Immediately bringing to mind 60's pop, you can easily imagine the song being performed by the likes of the Beatles. The short but complementary electric guitar sections, which naggingly remind me of something that I can't quite put my finger on, add an extra flourish to the almost simplistic main tune - a mix of acoustic guitar, Hammond organ and drums, all played by Adam himself. Don't be put off if that description makes it sound a bit of a strange melange. Everything works together to produce a superbly melodic song which, along with the accompanying video, tells the story of how a young party-goer finds herself re-evaluating her life. Light, airy and instantly likable.
In what can only be a strange coincidence, the second track, Mirror Mirror, opens with the type of simple, repetitive keyboards reminiscent of some of Iain Jennings' songs. (Adam is about to join Iain's Breathing Space as their new guitarist.) This wonderfully atmospheric song would fit right in with some of related band Mostly Autumn's output which is, perhaps, no surprise given Adam's past guitar teacher. But that's not to take anything away from Adam's writing - there's nothing wrong with showing your influences, especially when they lead you to produce something as beautiful as this.
Although not mentioned anywhere on the CD, I believe that Silver Skies is dedicated to Dirk Macrae, former frontman of The Asylum Seekers (one of Adam's former bands), who died suddenly in 2006. Without being too sentimental, this is a lovely tribute to an absent friend and a song which will soon be performed "full band" (as Adam has stated it was always meant to be) by Breathing Space. In the future, this version may only be seen as having historical interest but it rounds the highly enjoyable single off in style.
This review was based on the physical release but all tracks are also available from itunes.
Track Listing:
1: Lazy Susan
2: Mirror Mirror
3: Silver Skies
Credits:
All songs written and performed by Adam Dawson
Engineered by John Spence at Fairview Studio
Lazy Susan video directed by Paul Richardson and featuring Roxanna Kilmaszewska as Susan
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