album review: clare bowditch & the new slang, modern day addiction

Clare Bowditch is certainly not the first musician to offer a social commentary to her audience, but she is possibly the first to do it with the use of a Casiotone. Adding to the array of unconventional instruments that Bowditch has become known for (I vaguely recall seeing a set of gongs at a show of hers a few years back), Bowditch has this time chosen to experiment with a Casiotone MT-225 and openly and endearingly lets us know that functions such as ‘Love’ and ‘Party’ take prominent places on her fourth album.

This aside, Bowditch’s particular brand of societal analysis doesn’t preach, even though very little of our modern lives, especially suburban phenomena, is overlooked on the aptly titled ‘Modern Day Addiction’. There are more bells and whistles on this album than previous offerings, but tracks like ‘The Most Beautiful Lies’ and ‘A Little History’ are vintage Bowditch for any fans who fiercely oppose change.

One song deserves special mention on a forum such as this one. ‘Your own kind of girl’ is more minimalistic than other tracks, with just Bowditch’s voice and a piano ballad, but the choice to exclude her band from the production of this one was most appropriate given the subject matter. This song will speak to any girl who’s ever eaten chocolate and felt guilty about it, or woken up looking no different to the previous day but inexplicably feeling awful about herself (which, sadly, precludes pretty much none of us). She sings, “You’re more than enough. The real world needs real girls to love themselves enough.” Luckily, we have real women like Clare Bowditch to remind us of this. It’s an affirming antidote to the bubblegum pop and its accompanying underdressed vocalists we are inundated with far too often (and the lyrics ‘ma-ga-ga-zine’ on the following track do raise the question of whether this is a subtle shout-out to such influences…or perhaps I’ve been studying English for too long and reading too much into things has become an automated response).

Although the band’s name change is due to Libby Chow’s maternity leave from touring rather than a change in direction, it accompanies a graceful and poignant move forward from Bowditch’s previous albums and is appropriately reflected by ‘The New Slang’.

The lovely Ms Bowditch may not be able to count her fans these days (MySpace says 8855), but she still creates a relationship with her audience that makes you feel like she’s singing you(r) secrets.