Mike Bones - A Fool for Everyone

by Andrew Carver

published: 21 / 3 / 2009

Label: Vice Records
Format: CD

Bleak, totally lacking-in-hope second album from New York-based guitarist and singer-songwriter, Mike Bones

Review

Today the world is worthy of my loathing ...” are Mike Bones’ first words on his sophomore solo album ‘A Fool for Everyone’, and he doesn’t cheer up much more after that. The New Jersey-born guitarist has garnered considerable cred in New York City as an instructor and sideman, most notably to singer-songwriter Cass McCombs. On his solo albums he comes across as the North American version of Australia’s Spencer P. Jones. Bones’ guitar virtuosity is an understated thing – you won’t find him ripping off 16th and 32nd notes – but just offer a little sandpaper to provide some grit to his bleak tales of self-pity. Bones’ voice doesn’t have quite as much gravel as such acknowledged influences as Leonard Cohen or Lou Reed, or Jones, but its moments of weakness provide an appropriate feel to such lyrics as "Hate and shame fill me much more than love." Fans of the urban troubador school of rock should enjoy Bones’ tunes. Whether they want to listen to all of them in one go is another matter, and some will find the heaps of mordant loathing, self- and otherwise, on display ludicrous. Even chipper sounding tunes like the piano-inflected ‘What I Have Left’ aren’t giving much hope.

Track Listing:-

1 Today The World Is Worthy Of My Loathing
2 One Moment's Peace
3 A Fool For Everyone
4 Like A Politician
5 I'm A Decent Man, I Kept Repeating
6 What I Have Left
7 Much More Than Love
8 Give Up On Guitars
9 Everybody's Always Coming Down On Me