Frank Hamilton - Songs to Make Life Slightly Less Awkward

  by Lisa Torem

published: 26 / 11 / 2016

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Review

British Singer-songwriter Frank Hamilton knows how to make a statement. Do you recall that he took a turn on the London Eye with a string quartet to record ‘Flaws and Ceilings’ and that he wrote and recorded one song a week for a full year? Now that’s impressive. Hamilton has a quirky sense of humour that never offends, but offers a new way of looking at the same old routines. ‘Songs to Make Life Slightly Less Awkward’ is available as a download, CD, cassette and vinyl and it will warm your heart. It contains thirteen songs. The cover is a sketch of the somewhat self-effacing singer. It’s a cool drawing, but you will need a magnifying glass to see the small white print on pink of the song titles on the back. Still, it’s what inside that counts… Hamilton really enjoys writing lyrics. “What if happy was a channel we could choose?” he posits in ‘What If?’ along with other innocent hypotheticals. His images meld together seamlessly. ’10 Days’ will put a bounce in your step and inspire you to take action. But even the most optimistic folk might need a break; perhaps that is why he penned, ‘Had Enough,’ for those of us that do get slight overwhelmed. ‘21C’ also challenges the so-called serenity of the status quo, in a convincing, yet plaintive manner. The final two songs are his darkest ones. ‘The Only Cloud’ may be a synonym for the Black Dog. ‘More or Less’ is also a serious one, but his duet with Dodie Clark gives it a lift. ‘Lovedrug’ is cool pop with a tart edge. “Pick me up/Drop me down/Got this addiction to fiction/So come on next to me.” The contagious rhyme schemes are irresistible. ‘Recycling’ is not about separating the combustibles from the milk cartons; it’s about renewing our vows, but leave it to Frank to draw such astute connections against such a danceable beat. ‘Songs We Fall Asleep To’ celebrates an innocent jubilance with hypnotic strums. As you whittle your way to work through the crowds, don’t forget to whistle your way through the entertaining ‘AOTC’ — Frank will be whistling beside you with good measure. In summary, Frank Hamilton’s new album really does make us feel slightly less awkward; and significantly more ready to take on this often disturbing world.

Track Listing:-

1 A.O.T.C
2 Lovedrug
3 10 Days
4 Had Enough
5 Songs We Fall Asleep To
6 Saturday Night
7 Recycling
8 Red
9 What If
10 We Started a Band
11 21C
12 The Only Cloud
13 More or Less

Band Links:-

http://www.frankhamilton.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/frankhamilton
https://plus.google.com/11323879863650
https://twitter.com/frank_hamilton
https://www.youtube.com/user/frankhami