Obaro Ejimiwe has been singing about disconnection from people, places and politics more or less since his debut album Peanut Butter Blues And Melancholy Jam, a Mercury nominated slug of urban dread which saw him in some circles compared to Tricky.
Whilst that was a largely electronic project albums since have been gradually shifting towards a live band orientation and I Grow Tired But I Dare Not Fall Asleep has a similar feel, opener Breaking Cover’s raking bass and jagged guitar chops bringing you into the room, the singer’s laconic counter turning the angst up to 3 a.m. levels.
Britain’s woes aren’t lost on Ejimiwe, even after relocating to Margate in recent years to set up a shop/cafe/arts space amongst the town’s surprisingly extensive arts community. The country’s malice is never too far under the surface however and issues of the Neo Liberal powergrab and social media’s platform for haters are dealt with on Rats In A Sack and This Trainwreck Of A Life respectively.
In most ways these distillations are familiar territory, but a possible future – or the electronic past – is signed on Black Dog Got Silver Eyes, claustrophobic programming and ghostly brass the sound of a man looking for shadows on street corners. I Grow Tired But I Dare Not Fall Asleep is at it’s best when on this fractured, narrow ledge.
You can read the full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 