aaamusic | On 18, Mar 2012

Conor Mason’s third album Standstill is a 10-track journey through intimacy and confessions. There is nothing more powerful than honesty in music; and this Conor Mason seems to know very well. Opener Misunderstood, mixing vulnerability and pride, is a terrific example of this; and as Conor says “I don’t need a stamp of approval from anyone, you can take it or leave it”, we feel more than happy to grant him that approval, hoping he reluctantly accepts it. As the record goes on you realise the underlying theme here may well be sheer beauty. 5 AM is a dive through a woozy sea of reverb, subtle and powerful at the same time, a little Elliott Smith and a little Travis too.  A personal favourite is second-to-last In The Doorway, a gorgeous Badly-Drawn-Boyish ballad of disillusion, painted with simple image-poetry. This all climaxes during the finale: A Picture of Farewell is a reminder of all that’s so good about this record, and immediately makes you want to press the replay button. Standstill is a great story told in the right way, and it doesn’t get much better than that.

 

Chiara Amoretto