Gaslight Blues by Joe Armstrong

Joe Armstrong, a Scotsman based in Berlin, transitions from his work with The Strange Encounters to once again collaborate with the Ports of Call Music and Subjangle labels for his first solo album in nearly nine years. Compared to The Strange Encounters' recent All in the Mind album, this Gaslight Blues release clearly allows Armstrong to satisfy his musical desires and showcase the full range of his stunning voice.

As such, Armstrong fully expresses his penchant for the janglier end of the 80s college rock scene with tracks best represented by Carola's Blues, Everything To Lose, Never See You, and For Your Mind, juxtaposing the slightest strains of Americana through the trademark lucidity of his jangled riffs, whereas Fickle Jade, The More You Learn, Luci Watusi, and the title track move closest to The Strange Encounters aesthetic with their beguiling mix of Berlin-influenced leftfield psyche rock and jangle-pop.

However, the most instantly accessible tracks of this album are undoubtedly heard in Here You Are Again, Farmers Daughters, and Romantic Notions. All sparse, winsome, singer-songwriter stunning, the slight under-production reveals the absolute lived-in world-weariness and concomitant beauty of Armstrong's vocals.

Darrin Lee (Janglepophub Editor)

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