User:Brian J. Rawson

James Rawson’s music is an iconoclast of orchestral instrumentation and electro-pop.

He seamlessly blends the classical and the contemporary. With influences from Beethoven to The Postal Service, Rawson’s music brings together years of tradition with modern innovation. On top of his lush arrangements, Rawson weaves together his lyrics with literary craft to create poignant stories of love and loneliness.

In 2009, James Rawson released “The Cliffside EP.” The record contains five songs with a literary theme of “loneliness” tying them together. As the album unfolds, the listener can hear this theme come through with every track. The title track, “Cliffside,” is the most effective at displaying this theme of “loneliness.” In the song, Rawson sings of a desolate ship wreck and its barren surroundings. He uses this imagery of wreckage as a symbol, a symbol of emotional isolation and damage. Along with “Cliffside,” “Turntables” is another standout track from the record. Rawson uses his own high school experiences to describe the scene of a Senior Prom. This symbol of youth, in Rawson’s hands, is used as social commentary on our cultures endorsement of immature love, which inevitably leads to loneliness.

When asked about his use of loneliness as a thematic element, Rawson says, “My approach to songwriting is to simply write what I know. In other words, I write from what’s happened to me in my life. My hope is -that by being transparent, honest, and vulnerable- people will be able to connect with my music. If I’ve experienced a certain emotion or situation, I’m sure someone else has too.” This philosophy comes through clearly with each song on the record. From high school Proms to the wreckage of the sea, the listener can feel Rawson’s own life sing through “The Cliffside EP.”