Conrad Vingoe: 'Spare Buttons And Bones'

Brighton-based 20-something singer-songwriter Vingoe has been building a loyal local fan base over the past couple of years with his heartfelt acoustic balladry, but is yet to attract nationwide attention. However, things may change with this new release.

'Spare Buttons And Bones' brings together Vingoe’s previously released limited edition EPs and its accomplished song craft deserves to garner him wider exposure and a larger audience.

Dealing primarily in melancholic yet uplifting folk, the album’s opener, 'Burn Down Love', encapsulates everything that is good about Vingoe. Based around a delicate picked guitar figure and backed by a hauntingly beautiful violin melody, Vingoe employs his ethereal, cracked falsetto to great effect, delivering a lyric of emotional desolation, ably supported by Kate Walsh on harmonies.

'Black Spot In The Sun', featuring a full band, showcases his more up-tempo side with its rockabilly shuffle and urgent, tumbling lyric reminiscent of 'Heartbreaker'-era Ryan Adams. 'How Come' has a laid-back, languid feel and a guitar line that oddly positions the song as a more introspective cousin of The Beautiful South’s 'Rotterdam'.

The album isn’t without its faults - it is over-reliant on slower numbers and his love of Josh Rouse (at times their voices are indistinguishable) is so evident that at several moments it threatens to suffocate any originality and to turn the album into a tribute. Listened to on its own terms though, this is a collection full of sublime melodies that radiate a wounded pathos.



Released on 8th March 2009 by Crazy Beard.

Written by Sam Monk.