After you have been writing reviews for a while, you get to wondering whatever happened to all those bands you wrote about five years ago and so it was with The Lonely Oatcake when, without warning, were resurrected through the mists of time and duly brought his new album “Autumn” to my ears.
My memory being what it is, I recalled that The Lonely Oatcake – actually a guy called Tommy Muggleton if my rust caked notes from days gone by are to be believed – was a purveyor of downbeat minimalist melancholy and, with the passing of the years, it would appear that he is still a purveyor of downbeat minimalist melancholy with these seven songs seasoned well with maudlin sentiments and introspective isolationism. The odd thing, however, is that times haven’t actually changed, and “Autumn” should have just been another clap your hands and disappear album but it wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong – these aren’t songs that will blast Nick Drake out of your affections yet they have something increasingly rare going in their favour. These are honest, even heartfelt, songs that reach inwards and find something within you to hold on to. That isn’t commonplace these days and it is certainly worth trying on “24th October 2011” or “Song For Dan” if you can no longer stomach plastic pop music.
Anyway, there isn’t even a financial risk as the album is available as a free download from Bandcamp.