Little Idiot - This Way Today Another Way Another Day

​Little Idiot

This Way Today Another Way Another Day
self-released; 2017
​
3.8 out of 5

By Dan Weston

Apparently the idea behind This Way Today Another Way Another Day by Little Idiot was to see how far he could go without seeking outside help. He wanted to see what the result was of keeping an idea pure to one person's influence.

​From personal experience for four albums over twenty years I can unequivocally say that surrounding yourself with trusted engineers and musicians is invaluable to the creative process. I found that working by yourself at the very least you start questioning your moves and getting outside perspective is an important part of the process. With that people work differently and I thought This Way Today Another Way Another Day was a very impressive solo effort.

His music felt pretty unique. It reminded me somewhat of Ariel Pink and has a similar off-kilter rock sensibility to it. I thought there were inventive aspects in the structure. As far as the production goes it was certainly solid for a DIY effort. There were also a good amount of issues (dynamic control, frequency spread)  that I could guarantee would have been cleaned up by a professional mastering engineer. 

Up first is “This Way Today” which is a glorious track that felt like a grand introduction. In fact the grand entrance which reminded me of The Flaming Lips felt a little too big for the indie rock style song entitled “Hollow Glory” that opens with a meager cough. The song is catchy and I especially enjoyed the vocals. I thought the transitions were inventive.

The next song “She Will Be Wandering” also has a number of inventive transitions which I thought were effective. There is a pretty significant shift in energy but it feels natural. “Feel Like A Friend” has palatable vocal harmonies as he repeats the title while “Everything Has Changed” shows a different more melancholy and emotionally resonant side. Mid-way through “Everything Has Changed” it goes into epic Pink Floyd territory. It works and was definitely a highlight for me. 

The following “So Sadly More” has a different feel and the instrumental “Hell Boost You” rocks out in its own kind of way. “Disconnection Tone” had its moments and he closes with “Another Way Another Day” which is a pretty song. 

This Way Today Another Way Another Day worked better with the individual songs than the album for me. Every song felt like a separate idea that seemed self contained. I still add points for albums that connect the dots and that wasn't as clear to me when listening to the songs sequentially That's something I hear quite a bit from solo artists. That's really the only quibble I have.

I think his approach had merit but I would suggest to him to consider working with other people. At the very least an experienced engineer would help elevate the songs. That I can say with the utmost certainty.

Overall, I thought he is a great songwriter with very good ideas. He isn’t afraid to take the songs into unfamiliar territory. I definitely had my favorites but can’t say any songs felt flat. Recommended

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