review - Chris Townsend

Imagine, if you will, a music video. A lone male pop star - ruggedly handsome though still retaining something of a boyish charm - stands on a deserted beach on a rainy day. He’s looking out to sea, poignantly.

Cut to a scene on a cliff top. The same man - the same steely gaze into the distance. Perhaps he then starts walking down an empty street or wanders through a field, idly remembering a lost love.

Sound and Vision:

If you can imagine that, you’ve probably already got an idea of what Chris Townsend’s album “Copenhagen” sounds like. There are forlorn lyrics about a sad past and a renewed hope for the future, there are shimmering strings, gentle rocking piano parts and a vocal that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Bryan Adams song.

The songs on this album have all been heard before, not necessarily sung or written by Chris Townsend, not even featuring these exact lyrics or melodies, but the themes and allusions are as old as the stars he sings of in his opening track.

Sun, Sun, Sun:

There are, of course, the pre-requisite references to nature as a metaphor (valleys, wind and stars in “Come and Go”, rain in “Back Again” and the sun in “Copenhagen”, “Hardest Summer”, “Stay Positive” and “For the best - he likes his sun, does Mr. Townsend).

There’s also talk of man made imagery taken from the Songwriter’s Directory of Clichéd Metaphor. Barriers and walls are always good for these kind of songs (“Come and Go” and “Untied”), but we also get taxi cabs - neither big, nor yellow - serving as a vehicle for moving on from a difficult past (“All You Can Say”) and city street lights offering hope for the future (“For the Best”).

Martin vs. Townsend:

You can usually blame Coldplay for this sort of behaviour: lots of songs about a misty eyed hope for the future with no sense of an idea of how to get there: “We will solve all the world’s problems - just don’t ask me how”. It is when Townsend diverges from these bland generalities and concentrates on telling stories that he becomes more interesting.

“For the Best” recounts the (not necessarily romantic) feelings of a narrator for a girl who’s moving out to be with someone even she suspects may not be right for her. Elsewhere, “All You Can Say” describes the dying moments of a relationship with no little tenderness.

Holding On:

It’s not entirely bad on the other songs either. While some songs lack a certain focus (the ironically named “Direction” sports a funky riff but little else), the song “Stay Positive” shines through with simplicity and honesty.

Related links:
Chris Townsend on Myspace