Casiotone For The Painfully Alone

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone was the lo-fi solo project of <a href="spotify:artist:3LqiGdKmDJPKHM07FFhBsq">Owen Ashworth</a>, a Portland-based songwriter who mixed sensitive <a href="spotify:artist:5o206eFLx38glA2bb4zqIU">Bright Eyes</a>-styled balladry with <a href="spotify:artist:4I6LjrgKVERp2HF7y5LbkF">Atom & His Package</a> battery-operated antics. His weapons of choice were the Casio SK-1 and several hot rod Casiotones, while his lyrics were a coy-edged blend of <a href="spotify:artist:2x7iCl510O317XjOcG7iOf">Stephin Merritt</a>'s sarcasm and <a href="spotify:artist:3hyGGjxu73JuzBa757H6R5">the Mountain Goats</a>' earnestness. <a href="spotify:artist:3LqiGdKmDJPKHM07FFhBsq">Ashworth</a> released his first recording, 1999's Answering Machine Music: A Brief Album in Twelve Parts -- loosely a concept album of clever musical voice mails -- on his own label, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Cassingle+USA%22">Cassingle USA</a>. Some of the tracks, including "Theme from David Hanna," were first recorded into his machine. Pocket Symphonies for Lonesome Subway Cars followed in 2001 on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Tomlab%22">Tomlab</a> label and featured several "real" instruments, including cello and drums. Twinkle Echo arrived in 2003, and 2006's Etiquette expanded <a href="spotify:artist:3LqiGdKmDJPKHM07FFhBsq">Ashworth</a>'s sound even further by adding more analog instruments. While remixing songs for the likes of Dudley Benson and <a href="spotify:artist:1ESgG9tU1N0xCyVyA4TfYa">Headlights</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3LqiGdKmDJPKHM07FFhBsq">Ashworth</a> found time to continue his work with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, whose fifth album (the diverse Vs. Children) arrived in early 2009. <a href="spotify:artist:3LqiGdKmDJPKHM07FFhBsq">Ashworth</a> retired CftPA, as well as all of the songs he wrote under the moniker, at the end of 2010. The following year, he began a new project, <a href="spotify:artist:4YIMPSc3zZLRwe4Ujaxjce">Advance Base</a>, which relied less on cheap electronic instruments and reflected his continued growth as a songwriter and arranger. <a href="spotify:artist:3LqiGdKmDJPKHM07FFhBsq">Ashworth</a> has also contributed to <a href="spotify:artist:0qt6QSruHshcWT9QOzyfZp">Mark Kozelek</a>'s band <a href="spotify:artist:4G0XDEk7RbA4BBCTs917U9">Sun Kil Moon</a>. ~ Daphne GA Carr, Rovi