Complex Context – Josh Birdsong (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Pop music doesn’t have to be clever, in fact it is often at its best when it is relying on baser, more emotional driven urges. But every now and then someone proves that it is possible to blend the two, the cerebral and the passionate and the wonderfully named Josh Birdsong is the perfect example of head meets heart music. And if the term pop music may give you the wrong impression, though pretty much everything with an accessible quality is pop(ular) music to me, let’s dig a little deeper.

The charm of the Complex Context is that it builds its structure through chiming textures and delicate picking which when layered up create a wash of shimmering sound. Slip a simple beat under it and you have a gracious indie-pop hit in the making, one that should remind us that pop music can tug heart-strings but when done properly it can also stimulate the brain. Pop music has always invited you to dance, but sometimes it also wants to sit down with you, have interesting discussions and really give you something to think about.