Watching the Watchmen: Casiotone Part 1, The Music Problem

Watching the Watchmen is a semi-regular feature where I whine about explore questions and problems related to writing pop culture criticism.

I have a couple of problems with this review of the new Casiotone for the Painfully Alone album. So why don't we all read it, listen to some of it on the lala sidebar, and then reconvene here.

I think that all in all, this is a pretty thoughtful review of an excellent record that does a good job of breaking down its main thematic motif: child panic and the societal expectation to be a parent. The record's focus on criminals, and its subsequent turn with the boyfriend-wants-you-to-get-an-abortion stunner "Killers," reflects the idea that its kind of criminal in our culture not to settle down and make some babies. That's what society expects you to do, which is why the record spends so much time making these old school, folk hero-type ballads about bank robbers, painting them as romantic Dillinger-esque social rebels.

But there's a gaping hole in this music review: only one sentence is actually about the music. Aside from a parenthetical at the end, there's no mention of what the record sounds like. And sure, the project's name kind of perfectly describes the sound that Ashwroth is going for, but that doesn't mean there's not interesting things to mine with the music. For example, the way the jangly tambourine and piano give a more traditional folk ballad feel to the album compared to Ashworth's more electronic work. And the way that music compliments Ashworth's lyrics about criminals, giving a Depression-era feel that evokes Bonnie and Clyde as strongly as the album art or the words. And not even a mention of the "When the Saints Go Marching In" quote in "Optimist Vs. The Silent Alarm?"

I empathize with this problem because, as someone with no background in music theory or composition, I have a very hard time analyzing what's actually happening in the music. The temptation is to latch onto the words because they're easier to wrap my mind around and actually understand. But ignoring the music only gives you half the story and the story of this Casiotone album is one of a musician adjusting his sound in subtle, but very smart ways. The review misses what Ashworth has actually achieved with Vs. Children, how his sound has evolved, and the way this record achieves such a quietly moving catharsis during the slow-burn ending. I don't mean that music writers need to know everything about music or spend paragraphs painstakingly detailing chord progressions. But a film review wouldn't ignore the behind the scenes elements like cinematography and editing, and a game review wouldn't ignore the actual process of playing a game.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we look explore ratings systems and just how much of a difference a tenth of a point can make