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CRITIC REVIEWS
80
The likes of "Downtown" and "1000 Miles" are modest but sumptuous ballads which suggest something of lo-fi Blue Nile, while "London Bridge," from the title downwards, is basically a Blur song, to which he is surely entitled.
1mo
80
Rowntree doesn't possess the strongest of voices, but he uses its limitations to his advantage, emerging as a soft-spoken narrator of understated melodrama.
80
Whether he is the influencer or the influenced, there’s such a clear creativity and worldliness in his music, that Radio Songs should be listened to multiple times to really get the depth of where he’s taking his sound.
80
Compelling evidence that you should never underestimate the person brandishing sticks.
80
Blur’s drummer breaks his solo duck with an assured album that, while largely electronic, beats with an analogue heart.
80
Taken on its own terms, ‘Radio Songs’ is undoubtedly a triumph. The long-time drummer may be walking hesitantly into the spotlight, but the record carries a softly-spoken sense of confidence.
70
This carefully constructed introspection does fulfill Rowntree's intention of Radio Songs mimicking the shape-shifting nature of late-night listening, acting as an aural journey to an astral plane.
60
Not the pinnacle of his varied career, maybe, but not a low, either.
1mo
60
Blur drummer Dave Rowntree’s Radio Songs is the anti-All Things Must Pass, a soft reminder that, hey, the drummer can write and sing too.
Impressive how our childhood could chase us for all of our lives.
Rowntree father was a BBC radio engineer (a successful one for what I could understand), his mother otherwise was as brilliant violin player who decided to quit playing when she was asked to perfectly play music as she was some kind of an automatic software whose only purpose was to reproduce notes and melodies... some type of humanless exercise.
These stories are all over Rowntree debut album (cover art, Black Sheep, ... read more
To continue this slow and unassuring January, another interesting release I was bound to listen to - the debut album of Blur's very own Dave Rowntree. Little did I know that this too would be, not exaggerating here, one of the most boring, uninspired records I've heard as of late. But not so bad I'd call it horrible, or a total mess. There were some really nice tracks here. Downtown, Who's Asking, and dare I say the flawed London Bridge are interesting tracks that I'm sure will click later on ... read more
Nothing groundbreaking, but still fun album. Except track London Bridge, each track is at least okay. There are some really decent songs like 1000 Miles or Tape Measure. I really like the intimity of this record. It has its own soul, it's good from instrumental side. I feel that I would have liked it more, if it had deeper lyrical context. Nevertheless, this is good album, enjoyable from start to finish.
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Track List
| 1 | Devil's Island 3:13 | 65 |
| 2 | Downtown 3:36 | 73 |
| 3 | London Bridge 3:18 | 55 |
| 4 | 1000 Miles 4:30 | 55 |
| 5 | HK 3:59 | 50 |
| 6 | Tape Measure 2:58 | 55 |
| 7 | Machines Like Me 4:03 | 58 |
| 8 | Black Sheep 2:56 | 63 |
| 9 | Volcano 5:07 | 55 |
| 10 | Who's Asking 3:50 | 70 |
Total Length: 37 minutes
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Added on: September 26, 2022