In the past, Badly Drawn Boy has produced chamber-pop music that has managed to be both intelligent and innovative. His sound happily maintained a stable relationship between rock and pop. However, on Damon Gough's fifth album, Born in the U.K., the British musician seems to have lost footing in his musical middle ground.
Gough admitted to having a great deal of difficulty with producing the album, his first on a major label. His first effort was scrapped and attempts to rebuild were supervised by a new producer, Nick Franglen, one half of the trippy electronica band Lemon Jelly.
Gough asserts that the majority of his album was created in homage to one of his biggest influences, Bruce Springsteen. This explains Gough's choice of album title, but doesn't complement the sound of Badly Drawn Boy. Gough's choice to take on such a hearty serving of American influence becomes misinterpreted by a sound that is simply overplanned and overwrought. The combination of Franglen's computerized funky beats and Gough's attempts to be loud and proud undermines his potential.
Previously, Badly Drawn Boy was charming with his gruff but whimsical sound. Gough's tendency to overindulge in his melancholy and get lost in six minute-plus songs was part of his genius. It gave the listener a ghostly, epic conglomeration of instruments and a feeling that was fun to sort through.
On Born in the U.K., Gough's vast array of instruments sounds crass and boisterous rather than gracefully disjointed. He is insistent on keeping everything upbeat and well-groomed. It doesn't seem like Badly Drawn Boy has lost his heart, but he certainly doesn't let go creatively. Perhaps Gough became apprehensive when his first attempt was canned, but fans may take the album as an attempt to get on the pop charts.
The lyrics on Born in the U.K. are a series of recycled clichAcs about love and loss. It's important for artists to be well-connected to a general kind of human experience, but Gough's insights turn to plastic. On ""Promise,"" Gough pleadingly croons to the object of his affection, ‘Promise you will remember / A promise should last forever / 'Til after the last dying embers.""
There are still a few songs on Born in the U.K. that deserve admiration. ""The Way Things Used to Be"" features the easygoing guitar of the West Coast, and it's subtle in comparison to the rest of the album. ""The Time of Times"" and ""Nothing's Going to Change Your Mind"" display a kinship with The Hour of the Bewilderbeast that boasts of Gough's talent. Isolated from the ruckus of the rest of the album, Gough's piano playing throughout the album is consistently passionate and determined.
Sometimes the more difficult an album is to create, the more brilliant the end result is. However, Badly Drawn Boy never shakes off his initial difficulties. While his intentions are good, Gough fails to rediscover the inventive, lackadaisical nature of his musicianship that continues to keep The Hour of the Bewilderbeast Badly Drawn Boy's best work.
