Psycoteddy (label)
07 February 2012 (released)
26 January 2012
Under normal conditions I would run a mile from an album that attempts to describe a year of the artist's existence in song. But this is Thomas Truax so I took my sensibilities and gave it a spin - or three!
Every track has a very individual feel and flavour and the year he describes would be enough to shatter the heart of most mortals - he lost his father in March, his long term relationship broke up in June and he ended up leaving Britain for his native USA late in the year when visa changes forced him out.
His plan here was to write each track and produce a studio output within the month the song represents but if he is busy living the month it is damn near impossible to describe it in real-time
I guess the music reflects all that but I have to admit that I was flummoxed by the lack of flow from one 'month' to the next. If you look back over a year there is a natural rhythm as the seasons move and the business cycle and domestic cycles all follow. Each track here stands alone and the overall concept fails because of it.
Truax is a very talented singer and songwriter and.the playing is excellent but he misses the mark here - a little too ambitious - even though he has produced 12 very good songs in their own right.
