You could say that Goodtime John has his ducks all in a row at the moment.
Having released the well-received Brought Four Ways Out Of Town, John Cowhie found himself comfortably nestled within the city’s sometimes cliquish lo-fi community – in fact, members of Jape, The Redneck Manifesto, The Connect Four Orchestra, Joan Of Arse and Decal have all had a hand in this album. Despite the sometimes inaccessible, insular nature of the circles in which he operates, I’ll Sing… is in fact a highly digestible, appealing and accessible collection.
Recorded in The Mountainhole in Avoca, the album has a gentle, earthy feel – suited to Cowhie’s trademark unassuming simplicity. The songwriting, laced with yearning and fresh-faced wonderment, is compelling and introspective. ‘As I Submerge’, for example, is hauntingly and achingly plaintive, ‘Mountains Are Awake’ is upbeat and youthful, and ‘Dust Blows Like Sand’ encapsulates the best that American lo-fi has to offer.
It’s refreshing to find a songwriter that can touch a nerve without the histrionics that often mark work in this vein. With I’ll Sing..., Goodtime John may not boast the sonically adventurous bent of some of his fellow illuminati, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a more honest record this year.