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Reviewed by Bing Turkby

Darryl Baser: Petite Selfie EP

Reviewed by Bing Turkby

Darryl Baser: Petite Selfie EP

Darryl Baser has been around the music scene for decades, both as performer and critic, and has been in all sorts of bands, from synth-pop to Clash covers. Now re-invented as a solo artist, he tips the hat to Elvis Presley with a unique deconstructivist take on In The Ghetto, and includes two other covers, as well as two original compositions. They have a confessional tone and a poetic feel. In fact first track The Whiff Of A Great Deed Lingers is a poem by Richard Langston that Baser has set to music. These songs are a precursor to a full album (‘Raw Selfie’) to be released later. From the sounds of passing cars, to the stumbling guitar chords, to the low-key delivery, this five-track EP fully lives up to its Bandcamp tags: indie, lo-fi, alternative. Sometimes sounding like a chilled-out acoustic Chris Knox, Baser doesn’t quite attain his melodic sensibility, but the hypnotic delivery slowly wins you over. Recorded to Minidisc and cellphone, this is indeed music at its most raw, and like a selfie, it’s a close-up portrait of one man and his guitar.

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