{"id":10301,"date":"2026-04-17T13:33:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/sean-solomons-busy-messed-up-world\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T13:33:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:33:42","slug":"sean-solomons-busy-messed-up-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/sean-solomons-busy-messed-up-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Sean Solomon\u2019s Busy, Messed-Up World"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sean Solomon. (Credit: Michael Schmelling)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The cover of Sean Solomon\u2019s solo debut features humanlike cartoon animals, drawn by Solomon, who\u2019s provided animation for videos by Odd Future and Run the Jewels, among others, in the style of children\u2019s author Richard Scarry. Scarry\u2019s work, of course, formed the basis of a \u201990s cable cartoon show that imprinted the fictional metropolis of Busytown on the minds of Solomon\u2019s generation. Solomon\u2019s own animation style skews more toward the surreal and twisted\u2014think Daniel Clowes mixed with Lisa Hanawalt\u2014but with a covert whimsicality suggesting that the good-natured innocence of Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, and company is buried in there somewhere. As a singer-songwriter, the L.A.-based musician favors disillusion over delirium, but his bummed-out, dissatisfied and wise-up narrators can\u2019t help but carry at least a shred of what remains of their heart on their sleeve.<\/p>\n

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Solomon used to lead the crunchy rock band Moaning, who, when last heard from on the 2020 Sub Pop album Uneasy Laughter<\/em>, were heading in a decadent new wave direction. Solomon lightens his tone on The World Is Not Good Enough<\/em>, singing in a slightly higher register with a yolky timbre akin to a more grounded Daniel Johnston and sticking to a clean, colorful folk palette. The guitars are mostly distortion-free and firmly strummed, the tempos rarely push beyond an easy canter, the drums keep time but don\u2019t get fancy or forceful. Fellow Angelenos Shannon Lay (ex-Feels) and Sofia Arreguin (ex-Wand) show up on guitar and vocals and violin, respectively, but keep to the background. Solomon has clearly studied the indie moves of the \u201900s, and you can hear traces of the big names all over his songs. The mellow trumpet and buzzing synth on \u201cCar Crash\u201d recalls Beirut and the Elephant 6 collective, the abrupt, swooping choruses of \u201cShooting Star\u201d and \u201cPostcard\u201d echo Arcade Fire, and the driving syncopated arpeggio of \u201cRemember\u201d owes a debt to Pinback. The ghost of Elliott Smith hangs over everything, wishing for a smoke and biting its spectral nails.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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