Old Lost John
Album: Caving In
Label: Tight Grain
Tracks: 6
Website: http://www.oldlostjohn.com

Under the musical alias of Old Lost John, Malmo (Sweden)- based singer-songwriter (and former woodsman and horse-keeper) Tomas Thunberg has thus far released two acclaimed folk-noir albums that have (sadly) escaped my radar, but if they’re as good as this new EP then I’ll be backtracking for them pronto. Its six tracks are sparsely-arranged gems that keep each element on a tight grain (ok!): gravelly, world-weary vocal and rippling, gently busy guitar with occasional lonesome harmonica fills. The only slightly grating false note is the falsetto vocal echo that leaps out of the right-hand speaker during the last half of the opening track Once We Get To The Edge Of Town.

In spite of the overall dark undercurrent that permeates Tomas’s intriguing, vaguely philosophical self-penned songs, this proves a really attractive set, from the wistful growl of the waltzer Love Is Not For Me through to the traditional-sounding Run With The Flow and the wonderfully eerie cricket-infused One Man Band (In A One Horse Town), the latter complete with “operatic” vocal embellishments from Agnes Wästfelt. Though it’s impossible not to hear shades of Tom Waits (among other, more subliminal inspirations), Tomas proves himself to be a strongly individual talent; impressive even at first encounter, his music nevertheless grows increasingly satisfying with each successive playthrough.

David Kidman