Today's post focuses on the quintessentially English songwriting of Johnno Casson who performs under the pseudonym of Snippet. April 7th will see the release of his new album Future Melancholy Pop Music and the title sees the contents doing exactly what it says on the tin. It's 15 tracks of reflective, retrospective, introspective, captivating, engaging, satirical, funky and just plain compulsive lo-fi listening pleasure.
Johnno Casson was the singer and main songwriter of trip-hop pioneers Deep Joy, working with the likes of Primal Scream's Andy Weatherhall, James Lavelle of Mo' Wax/UNKLE and the inimitable Adrian Sherwood, founder of On-U Sound Records
Having traveled a solo path these last 10 years Johnno is a well-established and well-respected member of the DIY Indie music scene, enjoying support from not only Ralph but the likes of Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music
His inimitably British pop release We Luv The Sunshine featured on the soundtrack of a recently released movie, The Space Between.
We'll be giving that track a spin on Ralph's Indie show on Radio KC next Sunday (19th February) and feature a track from the album the following week.
Driven by a passion to make infectious, melody fueled music and lifted from an active imagination and a sampladelic approach Johnno has delivered the most self-assured, solid and perceptive collection of songs of his career. An honest, mature album with a sarcastic and playful underbelly. The 15 beautifully crafted songs getting under the skin of love, loss and life.
Future Melancholy Pop Music is his biggest, boldest and most thought provoking album to date - from the spitting social commentary of Middle Class Ways through to the knowingly dysfunctional love story bounce of first single Bad Man, it’s a Summer Sun album full of wonderfully poetic journeys and beautiful soundscapes that slowly give up their gifts.
Wim Oudijk
1943 - 2016
To quote Johnno "it was simply wonderful to have a last hurrah with the nicest man I have never met".