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Album Review: Jim Lawrie - Slacker Of The Year

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"There's less sad bastard and more cautious optimism."

Jim Lawrie's 2015 record, Eons, was one of the finds of that year, a record of emotive storytelling straight from the sad bastard playbook.

So, despite the trepidation of what may lie in his follow-up, it's with great relief that not only does Slacker Of The Year have more musical depth to it than Eons, there's less sad bastard and more cautious optimism. He follows the Kurt Vile approach to contemplative vocal delivery, where each song is given ample time to breathe and guitar lines room to expand, proving once again why he should be considered one of this decade's finest songwriters.