To call Damon Gough uninspired would be one short of calling Lady Gaga discrete; however his latter attempts to wow music lovers with his artistic ideas have fallen slightly short of interesting. Samey and bland his latest albums have done little to honour his defining masterpiece ‘The Hour of the Bewilderbeast’ and follow up ‘About a Boy’. However, tea cosy still in tact and artistry emerging once more, ‘It’s what I’m Thinking’ seems to mark the end of a musical recession for the mind behind Badly Drawn Boy.
The seventh – yes, it is hard to believe - studio album mesmerises the listener, churning out a melancholy vocal timbre to contrast with light and airy melodies which entwine like oil and water in a pan, never merging together but sitting side by side in a happy coalition.
Lacking a real hit tune, this album is not to be listened to on shuffle but the beauty of it lies in the current which travels from song to song. A magnificently thought through playlist, each song compliments the next with style and achieves an album which allows you to sink deep into it’s comforting and warm tones.
Single release ‘Too Many Miracles’ emancipates from the rest of the tracks, enlisting motown characteristics which help to waken up the sedated mind of the listener.
Less upbeat and less folky than previous albums, ‘It’s What I’m Thinking’ ventures further into the alternative musical genre and commits just enough twanging guitar riffs and anti-militant drum beats to keep the playlist rolling on through the Eerie vocals and haunting – if somewhat disappointingly synthesised - strings.
Though the LP flaunts some features of a brilliant song-smith, it lacks that certain quality which kicks it into orbit. Singing of ‘What Tomorrow Brings’, ‘It’s What I’m Thinking’ is a satisfying but safe glide through alternative music and Damon Gough shouldn’t expect ‘Too Many Miracles’ at the Mercury Music Prize awards this year. As ‘Part One’ of an unnumbered collection, we can only hope that the next attempt will have that long awaited wow-factor that we're anticipating.
