Out of Nottingham, England, Timothy J. Simpson picked up a guitar at 12 years old and has since played punk, funk, and odd electronica, before rejecting the whole lot for music that he can make with just his hands, his voice and the words in his head (some would say voices). His songs are mostly skewed kitchen sink tales about modern morality, the individual's place in society and the crushing inhumanity of the workplace...

Oh, These Endless Fears is Timothy J. Simpson's third album. His music is tinged with traces of Blues and Americana. The album was born as the result of a gestation period for his band The Monstrous Dead... I listened to this album on and off for two weeks and it didn't really click with me. To be honest, I found it rather bland. The overall impression that it left on me was that Simpson knocked it all out in an afternoon because he had nothing else to do.

I think, for me, the biggest problem was that Simpson's vocals have no soul. He sounds like he's just going through the motions. Maybe this was a clever act on his part - after all his songs are partly aimed at reflecting the "crushing inhumanity of the workplace" - but I doubt it.

The album contains 11 tracks (43 min) and kicks off on the right note with a lot of energy. But even this song, 'Oh, These Endless Fears', seems to run out of steam well before the end. 'Devils' Drop' has a huge amount of energy and for me this was easily the highlight of the album.

While Simpson may well be an accomplished singer/songwriter, I couldn't help feeling this was a missed opportunity.

5

Nick Smithson