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Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One Is One |
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06 August 2005 |
Badly Drawn Boy One Plus One Is One - ( XL Recordings ) With One Plus One Is One, Damon Gough (AKA Badly Drawn Boy) can be heard struggling with love's great paradox . Strict mathematicians may beg to differ, but love was designed so that two could mysteriously become one. On this disc's title track, Gough shows how he gets the point when he sings, "It all boils down to love." But such extrapolation is easier said than done, as he later admits: "Never had an easy love/Like the one I'm dreaming of." What makes Gough so continuously compelling, is that he's a strangely romantic realist, who will die trying to fit his square fairytale pegs into this world's infinite round holes. Gough is enamored with classic pop elements, which turn each of his releases into variety-filled outings. And the contrast is oftentimes striking here: H e goes from the string quartet backed "This Is That New Song," to the harsh rock of "Summertime In Wintertime," to the finger-picked guitar, flute and chimes of "Easy Love." Then with "Another Devil Dies," Gough trots out a full band for a Latin-flavored live recording. He can't seem to stop adding additional spices to his dishes. And underlying cynicism rears its ugly head in politically-charged tracks like "Don't Ask Me I'm Only the President" and "Year of the Rat," but nothing can dissuade the listener from still believing that Gough is a closet optimist, deep down. Despite its numeric title, Gough is no numbers and dollars and cents guy. With "One Plus One Is One," Badly Drawn Boy lovingly explores the mathematics of the heart , which all balances out in the end .
8.5
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