Mr. Alec Bowman – I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot
Self Released – 1 May 2020
Alec Bowman decided he needed to strip away all the artifice and stand naked to the world. Not literally, but figuratively. In order to do that, he shed the skin he’d acquired as part of the ambient-dub world of Formication. After the transformation he became … Mr. Alec Bowman who bares his soul on I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot, revealing dark depths leavened with doses of gallows humour.
Deceptively simple, Physics & Form rests on a bed of harmonium and guitar. Examining a world of structure, order and chaos Bowman’s Leonard Cohen-ish vocals paint a bleak picture of our world. Despite the rather austere outlook, what emerges are shadings suggesting all is not necessarily what it seems. Underpinning a less than upbeat lyric on Leaves, “I love the taste of my own blood in mouth, burning like tears on my tongue”, electric guitar and recorder imply there may be more to the outlook than meets the eye.
Sounding beaten and bruised on Long Goodbye Bowman sings, “With my tail between my legs, my hands cover my eyes. No more secrets to keep and no more long goodbyes.” The electric piano offers little respite from the slow march to the inevitable. Yet, Intermission (Old Rugged Cross), a harmonium and organ interlude, hints at something slightly less overwhelming.
Patience suggests that relationships may offer a slight ray of hope. Alas, they don’t come easily, there may be some waiting involved, “You shed your skin, you swallow your pride, close the door it’s safer inside. When you’re next to nothing, and nothing to lose, you get carried away, patience, the truth.”
Surprisingly upbeat, Hand In Hand extends a guitar-based litany on the ways Mr. Bowman doesn’t actually want to meet his demise. “It won’t be old age, drown in the sea, choked on a chicken bone stuck inside me, exposure to cold, a fall from the sky, this list of the ways I hope I don’t die. This next one, the chorus, that one’s alright, I walk hand in hand with you into the light.” The chuckles at the end imply that it may not all be quite so bad.
Concluding on a hopeful note, guitars strumming gently, the chorus of Never The End Of The World holds out a bit of hope, something we need more than ever these days. “It’s never the end of the world. It just stops for a minute while you unfurl and goes on without you whatever you do, so stand up for something all the way through.”
Changing his gears and shining the spotlight on the things he believes, Mr. Alec Bowman’s I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot suggests, despite all the evidence to the contrary, we still need to look to find a reason to believe.
Watch his latest video for Long Goodbyes featuring Josienne Clarke (you know who that is right?) – all shot in their backyard:
Pre-order I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot via Bandcamp here: https://mralecbowman.bandcamp.com/