Fraser A. Gorman
Slow Gum
ANXIETY/MARATHON ARTISTS/MILK!
6/10
There’s a lot of potential brewing inside of young Fraser A. Gorman, the Australian songwriter and confidante of Courtney Barnett. With their earnest lyrics and soft touch, the songs on Gorman’s debut full-length, Slow Gum, would have been right at home in the ’60s Gaslight scene. Oh yeah, and he’s not even twenty-five. Tracks like the jangly troubadour number “My Old Man,” the insanely catchy “Shiny Gun,” and the upbeat “Broken Hands” highlight his songwriting process and look ahead to future hits, even if Gorman’s musical talent hasn’t caught up with his wit quite yet. Some of Slow Gum’s arrangements fall flat and come across as bit plodding and deliberate, but Gorman’s ambition is commendable. Through even the most middling tracks of the album (“We’re All Alright” sums up the sentiment perfectly), the singer-songwriter has the foundation of what could be the start of a very promising career, even if he’s more Llewyn Davis than Bob Dylan at this point.
