My Top 22 of 2022: #7

7. Gavin Osborn & The Comment Section – Scrolling Home

I owe Martin a pint for this one. If he drinks pints. I don’t drink pints, except maybe a pint of coffee every now and then.

If you’ve never heard of Gavin Osborn, you’re probably wondering What Kind Of Thing he does. Luckily, he answers that very question on the opening track...

I play guitar in front of an audience
Mostly in the minors and the majors
It’s just four chords but they’re played in different orders
And I’m prone to too much self-deprecation

Sign me up!

It’s acoustic folk with the emphasis on rhyming
With well-worn and tried and trusted tropes
I’m a cut-price atheist pound-shop Paul Simon
With a rolling cast of awkward misanthropes

Seriously, how much of my money do you want, Gavin?

It’s like if Billy Bragg had swapped Barking for Bedford
If Jim Croce met John Hegley in the shower
If you cross Pat Sharp with some early Robert Redford
That’s what’s it’s like to sit and watch me for about an hour

You’ll have to come to Huddersfield though, otherwise I’ll just stick to buying your records.

What else can I add?

Well, Gavin also introduced me to the word “weltschmerz” (I’ve had it tattooed on my forehead) in a song that proves he’s a Springsteen fan…

And this world might never turn out how I thought it would at 18
But through tinny café speakers I hear the sound of Springsteen
Thunder Road trying to break through clink of spoon on china
And that restless inner voice that’s a constant reminder
That magic can occur in the most unlikely places
Sit back and take hold, as Mary’s dress keeps waving

Gavin Osborn - Weltschmerz

Remember when you were a kid and the songs that meant the most to you were the ones where the singer was channelling your own thoughts and feelings and putting them to music? Well, that’s what Gavin Osborn does for me on pretty much this whole album. 

Always wanted to be on the Top of the Pops
Now I order CDs from all the online shops
The most joy that I get is from opening the box
And I could’ve been a contender

Gavin Osborn - Contender

He’s even got a song about radio phone in shows. Takes me right back to my days on the switchboard...

Gavin Osborn - Balance

So my first Gavin Osborn album was a great success. I'll be buying more in the New Year. You should do the same, so he can start playing venue's a little larger than Caroline's Kitchen...