This week we're looking at the more mature (in a good way) artistes currently releasing fresh new material on the music scene in the UK, ranging from 80's popsters The Farm to the fiercely Indie-pendent Mr Johnno Casson aka Snippet. Today's post focuses on the quintessentially English songwriting of Johnno Casson who performs under the pseudonym of Snippet. April 7th will see the release of his new album Future Melancholy Pop Music and the title sees the contents doing exactly what it says on the tin. It's 15 tracks of reflective, retrospective, introspective, captivating, engaging, satirical, funky and just plain compulsive lo-fi listening pleasure. Johnno Casson was the singer and main songwriter of trip-hop pioneers Deep Joy, working with the likes of Primal Scream's Andy Weatherhall, James Lavelle of Mo' Wax/UNKLE and the inimitable Adrian Sherwood, founder of On-U Sound Records. Having travelled a solo path these last 10 years Johnno is a well-established and well-respected member of the DIY Indie music scene, enjoying support from not only Ralph but the likes of Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music. His inimitably British pop release We Luv The Sunshine featured on the soundtrack of a recently released movie, The Space Between. We'll be giving that track a spin on Ralph's Indie show on Radio KC next Sunday (19th February) and feature a track from the album the following week.
Driven by a passion to make infectious, melody fuelled music and lifted from an active imagination and a sampladelic approach Johnno has delivered the most self-assured, solid and perceptive collection of songs of his career. An honest, mature album with a sarcastic and playful underbelly. The 15 beautifully crafted songs getting under the skin of love, loss and life.
Future Melancholy Pop Music is his biggest, boldest and most thought provoking album to date - from the spitting social commentary of Middle Class Ways through to the knowingly dysfunctional love story bounce of first single Bad Man, it’s a Summer Sun album full of wonderfully poetic journeys and beautiful soundscapes that slowly give up their gifts.
Wim Oudijk 1943 - 2016
The album is dedicated to Johnno's producer and longtime collaborator Wim Oudijk who sadly passed away during the recordings for the album. Their musical alliance was conducted via the wonders of the internet and so (like myself and Wim) their paths never crossed. The man's magic and wit touched Johnno (everyone he knew) and myself with equal grace. To quote Johnno "it was simply wonderful to have a last hurrah with the nicest man I have never met".
Snippet aka Johnno Casson is the quintessential English musician. Prolific, diverse, entertaining, clever, wistful and whimsical (no more so on his previously released mini-album 'DIY' and the track 'Let's Talk About Us' on which he comments on his winkle (and he isn't introducing us to his pet mollusc Brian). Prolific as ever Snippet has released an EP of tracks that should be on everyones 'Summer Playlist' and it's called, appropriately enough, 'The Sunshine EP'. Previously Ralph's referred to Snippet as being all things to all listeners bringing you everything from funk to electro.If you haven't already been introduced to his inimitable stylings then this is the perfect lead in...go and seek out his back catalogue or even better check him out live...I think you'll find he's one of the nicest blokes you'll ever meet, as was proved when he kicked off the Ralph's Life CD all-dayer in London's Proud Camden earlier this year.
The EP was performed, recorded, produced and mixed by the man himself and mastered by Wim Oudijk. Snippetwas quoted as saying "the EP is six unique nuggets of sunshine 'SnipHop' that are big on bounce, low on fat (but always 'phat') & full of technicolor loveliness."
Following on from the previously mentioned and critically acclaimed D.I.Y Album, Snippet takes it up a notch with a batch of killer songs cloaked in sweet layers of retro synths & hand crafted loops, topped off with vocal hooks to die for...music to lift your spirits & put a spring in your step. From the first bars of the lead track 'We Luv The Sunshine' the lyrics are uplifting and the whistling infectiously cheerful. Second track in and the instrumental 'This Way Up' with an Ivor Cutler harmonium vibe leads you into the optimistic and bouncy 'Can I Luv You'. 'Misplaced Youth' is a more soulful, reflective track whilst 'Run For Your Life' moves up a gear again with a 'SnipHop' vibe, finishing off with the quirky 'fLIP' showing just how versatile Snippet can be.
This week we're looking at the more mature (in a good way) artistes currently releasing fresh new material on the music scene in the UK, ranging from 80's popsters The Farm to the fiercely Indie-pendent Mr Johnno Casson aka Snippet.
Johnno Casson was the singer and main songwriter of trip-hop pioneers Deep Joy, working with the likes of Primal Scream's Andy Weatherhall, James Lavelle of Mo' Wax/UNKLE and the inimitable Adrian Sherwood, founder of On-U Sound Records.
Driven by a passion to make infectious, melody fuelled music and lifted from an active imagination and a sampladelic approach Johnno has delivered the most self-assured, solid and perceptive collection of songs of his career. An honest, mature album with a sarcastic and playful underbelly. The 15 beautifully crafted songs getting under the skin of love, loss and life.
