Tom Minor’s debut studio album titled ‘Eleven Easy Pieces on Anger & Disappointment’ takes a narrative approach to songwriting primarily focusing on soft and indie rock genres. For the London musician, serious matters are expressed in a modern and relatable manner. The songs are unique in their way which makes the album worth listening to in a non-stop stream from start to finish. The album is kicked off with the track “Is Everything Okay?” which features powerful lyricism together with an upbeat accompaniment. Released alongside Teaboy Palmer, it does a great job in setting for what is to come.
Different in style is “The Bad Life”, offering a smooth polyphonic composed ballade. This song pertains to the challenges of the life cycle and acceptance. “It’s Easy to Play Hearts” is playful while trying to be delicate at the same time. The focus of the song is on the nature of relationships, their knots, and melodious lines that are sensible to a singer like Glenn. “It’s the Wind, Stupid!” is smooth in lyrics, simple in its title, and an enjoyable listen due to the multi-layered recordings. It carries broad ideas, conveying them through smart, entertaining lyrics. “Saturday Eats Its Young” is the best song off the album, simply because the strong energy that just the music alone possesses allows for it to be memorable. With “Light Heart Heavy Hand” the tempo drops. The song is comforting and captures the soul best allowing for strategic emotional relief. Unique and raw are the two adjectives that best describe “Goddam & Evil”, the song is an ironic take on topics that are, mildly put, unpleasant. The song “Interstellar Standstill” has a relaxing feeling to it as it takes you on a musical journey which in the end feels wide and dreamy. “The Dog Walkers” Youngman, Minor portrays an image of how a little bit of extra effort can find value in mundane tasks.
In the song “Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years”, the theme surrounding it is rather uncertainty, which on its own gets an uncanny funny sense to it. The closing song to the album “Daydreams Come True at Night” embarks a sense of softness and calmness to it. The song comes off as an almost a cappella, but not entirely. I would recommend keeping aside some time for it as it does provide a feeling of hope. Tom Minor’s album Disappointment would be from a completely different planet, Eleven Easy Pieces takes a foundational approach to tackling what emotions truly feel like while being simple. The debut is worth listening to.
English