Pocket Symphonies For Lonesome Subway Cars

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! VINYL FORMAT. The follow up to Owen Ashworth's debut album, "Answering Machine Music: A Brief Album in Twelve Parts." His first, self-released CD created quite some buzz in the SF indie scene with the help of frequent live performances and the devoted support of college radio. "Pocket Symphonies..." continues Ashworth's tradition of using battery-powered electronics and voice to create his tiny, tragic love songs. Several of the new tracks also feature live cello and drum accompaniment to Ashworth's minimalist electronic arrangements. The songwriting, production, and even Ashworth's singing voice are more confident and ambitious, making "Pocket Symphonies..." a smart, original, and surprising pop album. Whereas the songs on "Answering Machine Music" were intended to be heard as a series of musical answering machine messages, "Pocket Symphonies..." uses Ashworth's obsession with public transportation as its theme. The 16 songs on the album utilize trains, buses, subways, taxis, and airplanes to move along their lovesick characters and create an atmosphere of transition.