Mr. Alec Bowman_Clarke

"Mr. Alec Bowman perfectly captures the dark soil under the pastoral world of British folk with this collection of melancholy originals..." (Bandcamp new & notable editorital)

This is a far cry from your average singer-songwriter fare: witness the dark, almost spooky effects that underpin the melody of A Ditch Worth Dying For or the muted clarinets that haunt Leaves. The production – courtesy of @JosienneClarke – is quietly stunning. Ultimately, for all its darkness, I Used To Be Sad & Then I Forgot is a redemptive, positive experience. Desperation might have been the driving force of this album, but its message is one of hopeful defiance. It represents an ending of one period of its creator’s life, and a new beginning. It’s not about forgetting pain, but about claiming it, and recognising that over time it can be crystalised into something that contains a kernel of truth and beauty. As Bowman says, his songs are ‘scar tissue on my skin, owned by me, worn on the outside, and if you’re going to judge me, then do it with an open hand in the cold light of a future day, rather than under the cover of a darkness past.’

"blew my mind; unnerving & eerily comforting…" Dean Jackson BBC

"Bleak and personal, yet charming and humorous. Shades of Leonard Cohen with a contemporary English vibe." AmericanaUK