Album Review: Peter Escott - The Long O

Esoteric wordsmith Peter Escott (The Native Cats) strips things back for solo album, The Long O, weird yet weirdly alluring. The bareness of tracks like Mealymouth, O and Believe In Devil World are benefitted by the lack of layers, relying solely on a singular instrument (be it piano, synth, melodica, a rudimentary guitar chord) and a ratchety vocal that strokes the inward-looking id of the dreamer – somewhat strained, stained with anxieties and half-hearted regrets, intellectual aspirations and soul-crushing fears. The distorted washout of closer, The Bell, ensures the insecurities, and the possibilities, will rage on.