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Vorn: Not Quite As Good

There's a whole plague of bedroom boffins churning out lo-fi introspection and it can be execrable, but this example is quite charming. Vorn has a strong grasp of melody and a stiff grip on songcraft. It swings, in a tinky-toy kind of way, propelled as it is by drum machine and a cornflake-packet keyboard. The four-tracking submerges the voice in cotton wool baffles which, after the ears have adjusted, actually seems to suit the material. He channels Tim Finn on Mouth Shut and elsewhere are flavours of Guthrie, Beck, Dylan and Knox. The drum machine's inflexibility is distressing, but Vorn has made a mountain of his molehill. Despite the flakey quality, beautiful passages, poignant lyrics and layered detail emerge miraculously through the gloop. The best tracks feature fine acoustic (and slide) guitar and gentle, mellow one-man harmonies. I must admit to trepidation going in, looking at the title and the cheap scribbled back cover, but was pleasantly surprised. It seems a shame these special little moments will more than likely disappear without a trace. Try The Man Who Slept for Twenty Years, or Tiny Miracles if you come across a copy. The artist is currently absent in Asia but contactable via
vorncolgan@hotmail.com

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