CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE, CONCERN, PARENTHETICAL GIRLS (The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) A band turning 10 is like a human turning 30: You’ve endured one natural disaster or another (flood, fire, broken parts, folk music). You’ve moved around a lot. The partners with whom you’ve collaborated don’t return your calls. Worse yet, your parents have stopped sending money. For Owen Ashworth, 30, and his aptly named Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, 10, there is no escaping adulthood. His last full-length, Etiquette, shifted immediately from lovelorn piano mope (“New Year’s Kiss”) to razor-sharp electro pop (“Young Shields”). Turns out age brings confidence. Refined was the lo-fi play of his earnest Answering Machine Music days, back when he was a Northwest-observing—and David Bazan-sounding—San Francisco kid. His Portland years and resulting Twinkle Echo revealed a massive Smiths reverence (“Toby, Take a Bow”), and now that he lives in Chicago, he has manned up to a Bruce Springsteen tribute. Let’s hope it’s a little sad. MIKE MEYER

MP3:
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - New Year’s Kiss

Photo by Debra A. Zeller