London Folk Magazine and News
Album Review - Thomas Charlie Pedersen: ´Employees Must Wash Their Hands´
Thomas Charlie Pedersen´s latest solo release is an album intriguingly named ´Employees Must Wash Their Hands´
The album, whose title refers to the Pandemic times when most of these songs were written, presents a fuller band sound than Pedersen´s previous solo releases, but it is still haunted by his trademark introspection.
Recorded with his brother Daniel, there are some nice arrangements; the vocal harmonies particularly give it a downbeat Beatles vibe.
Clearly a lot of time and meticulous effort has been spent developing the textures and arrangements of each track. This has not gone to waste and has produced some interesting contrasts between the songs.
However, for a 15 track album, it could use a bit more variety, especially when it comes to tempo. This would help keep the listener on their toes.
Pederson deals with some profound subjects and asks some serious questions within his lyrics, such as ´Man´s relationship with God, who has abandoned who?´, as well as about isolation and self-doubt. After our Pandemic experiences, these are all relatable topics, but perhaps a scattering of more uplifting songs would help to bring the album to life and add poignancy to the introspection.
Overall, this is an interesting and well made piece of work. When you are in a quiet, reflective mood, it is definitely worth a listen.
