You got to listen to Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

If you're a fan of heavy synth-related music, then you'll enjoy Casiotone For the Painfully Alone.

The name says it all. It's a guy with a casiotone (a series of small keyboards ranging in sound and distortion made by Casio) who pours his heart out over Daniel Johnston inspired music. His last album was released in 2006, but I just heard about him the other day.

The lyrics are simplistic and in a storytelling method, but they're still very powerful. You wouldn't guess that all of this beauty would derive from one brain. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is not exactly about the pain of being jilted by love, but something about his Conor Oberst-esque voice gives a sense of hopelessness in a world filled with nothing but the stuff.

Although I did just make a judgment call about Owen Ashworth and Conor Oberst, they are nothing alike. If anything, they are on the furthest parts of the musical spectrum. Where Conor Oberst dwells in a pile of political driven country music, Owen Ashworth creates a fusion of pain and lack of self-worth on a keyboard designed for children. Sadly, I don't think children are dealing with the types of adult pain that Ashworth describes.

It's almost a corruption of children's toys. You take something so innocent with pre-recorded tracks like "When You Wish Upon A Star," and play a few minor tunes. Soon enough you're waving to a crowd of hundreds who want to hug you out of sympathy. It's brilliant. Instead of destroying all those toys from your childhood, you can make it into a musical sensation. I mean, look at Cocorosie.

You can listen to songs from Casiotone for the Painfully Alone on his myspace.