March 29, 2007
Z… Y… X… Or something like that. Alphabet Backwards is the project of 23 year old bedroom musician James Hitchman. With a Nizlopi voice and Chris TT funk – though he doesn’t say as much – he is a member of the new flying wedge of acoustic musicians who are becoming popular with mainstream culture. However, there is also a darker edge to his music, garnered from more post rock and dance influences. He does his best to keep this in the background – and is rewarded by the damn good final sound which is often an elusive beast for other small artists – but he could do with giving it more of a free reign, because it’s the distinctive element of his music. ‘In Love With The Weatherman’ contains a clutch of songs based on the ‘awesome types’ that dwell in Abingdon. All in all, it’s only a major label PR machine or a concerted MySpace campaign short of turning Hitchman into a star. ****