Badly Drawn Boy
One Plus One Is One

There are few, very few artists who, from the very first time you encounter them, give you the distinct yet irrational sensation that they are writing for you, that a favorable astral conjunction has finally brought them to your presence to satisfy your ever exorbitant musical expectations. In the most serious cases, this already megalomaniac illusion becomes a delirium, when you convince yourself that their entire discography follows your changing moods, or that they themselves magically influence the inspiration of those songwriters, almost suggesting the paths to take, the themes to tackle.

As far as I'm concerned, Badly Drawn Boy fits into this very select group more than ever. Given these circumstances, you'll understand that I could have reviewed any of the albums of that unpredictable freak Damon Gough and always would have praised it. The choice fell on "One..." not only because it's the latest, but because among all the pearls of his still short career, this is perhaps the one that, at least for me, shines the most, despite the fact that official critics would, I'm sure, vote for his resounding debut. Of course, I can already hear the objections of those who will say that the "badly drawn boy" hasn't invented anything, that his music has too many fathers; and others who will reproach him for excessive arrangements, for being too over-the-top. But, at least as far as I'm concerned, Damon's compositional talent has few equals at the current state, comparable, without wanting to evoke the sacred monsters of the past, to that of the late Elliott Smith. He is a musician who manages to be, even when choosing different models for almost every song, always recognizable and, in his own way, "original". Despite some slightly risky choices, as the "crazy horse" he is, in the arrangement of some songs, he almost always achieves a remarkable balance between pop, folk, and modern songwriting à la Beck, thanks to his exquisite taste and an innate talent for melody.

Anyone who has doubts about this can focus on just the first four tracks of the album, a four-of-a-kind that admits no replies. In the title track, at first, it feels like being in a folk song, but suddenly the lights come on and a piano, a vibraphone, strings, even a trumpet blend together painting a watercolor that, if he could, John Lennon, I believe, would have gladly signed; "Easy Love" instead, a whispered cry of pain, manages to evoke the pale figure of Nick Drake. The '60s rock, that of the West Coast, guides "Summertime in Wintertime", with Anderson-like flute doubling the melody. The quartet closes with "This is That New Song", a moving ballad, almost chamber music, with a sad cello giving body to its (your) melancholies, with Drake's ghost popping up again.
Those who continue listening, encouraged by such a journey, will not regret it. Ten more tracks, without lapses in tone and with at least another remarkable trio to pull out of his unmistakable hat: "Four Leaf Clover", winking at Kurt Wagner; "Logic of a Friend", a typical "pastiche" in Damon's style, in which various elements are spun, including a vintage Peter Gabriel; and "Take the Glory", a track of apparent classical setup, with a poignant solo piano, which in the crescendo is enriched with effects between jazz and prog.

The boy is badly drawn, that is beyond doubt. But, when you listen to these songs, it will seem like admiring a sketch by Michelangelo.