Steve Robinson - Window Seat (2024)

Life is rich when you completely stumble upon an artist you know nothing about and fall head over heels for a body of music which has, up to now, cruelly escaped your library. Don’t let this happen to you. Steve Robinson isn’t a name to ring many bells. Yet, this release threatens to rejuvenate your every reason for falling in love with near-perfect music. It’s deceptively easy to gush on about something you happen to think is one of the best things you’ve ever heard – but after having spent considerable time with Window Seat, it’s sincerely warranted.

Every artist lives in dread of being compared to another, better-known artist rather than be seen as an Artist Unto Themselves. This may not be the case here as the references come tumbling out with each and every brilliant composition: latter-day XTC, ’67-era Beatles, most smart, Brit-sounding artists you’ve ever cared for.

“Unnecessary War” launches gently – acoustic guitar, electric slide, pervasive rhythms. Yet, across most of these 11 songs, the voices are the hero. The lyrics – across the board – are smart in not entirely eloquent, leaning on familiar expressions and heartfelt sentiment. Robinson’s elocution is distinctively and unapologetically British – adding heft to the words. And whereas “Unnecessary War” is a statement on our times, it could just as well extend to individual relationships beyond the world at large. And, speaking of XTC – having Dave Gregory sit in on a pair of tracks certainly can’t blur the comparison.

The pace picks up with the mandolin/acoustic guitar feel of “Word to the Wise” as bass and drums deliver full, foot-tapping power as Robinson rekindles parental advice, if not dispenses it. The fact that fellow, soon-to-be-musical-giant, Ed Woltil (and long-time collaborator), contributes the lion’s share of the instrumentation (electric guitars, bass, mandolin, keys and programming) only underlines the rich levels of musicianship across each song – whether Gregory is present or not. [Note: Robinson and Woltil (Mad For Electra/The Ditchflowers) met while ex-pat/Northern Englander Robinson played in Florida’s The Headlights, who served as Roger McGuinn’s backing band, circa ’91).

A song lamenting the calibre of today’s politicians, “Hollow Man” is a gentle beauty no politician could possibly deserve – especially in these lean times. Sparsely accompanied (acoustic guitar, warmly articulate bass, distant keyboard effects and rudimentary percussion), its harmonies – alone – could supply significant loft to any plane.

“Are We There Yet?” is a familiar phrase that every parent dreads from the rear seat of the car. A touching confession from one sibling to another, Robinson’s poignant vocal floats along in true Beatle-esque fashion as the guitars assume a tougher tone. We’ve all been here, as the lyrics register. Harmonies this lush are rarely realized – but abound on this release. Surely Robinson multi-tracks yet daughter, Emma, seems yet another secret weapon behind the lavish degree of vocal grandeur.

The mandolin intro to “Wooden Hill (Return)” signals an abrupt realization that, for anyone who thought the inaugural version of Crowded House heralded the second coming of the Fab Four, “Wooden Hill (Return)” marks Window Seat’s high point for well-crafted, melodic pop. Seemingly disparate lyrics underline the loss of a special time in all our early lives, as Robinson delivers this devastatingly gorgeous tribute to the loss of his mother, the family home and the bittersweet-ness of never being able to return to that special time. Truth is, you can go home, as evidenced here.

Members of the 50+ set will delight in yet another masterwork – this one specifically in the XTC vein (with Gregory on guitar) – as, both lyrically and musically, “The King Of Scatterbrain” works on every level possible. Beginning with acoustic and electric guitar, chiming mandolin and war-party percussion, this song shifts gears as Robinson depicts Everyman’s realization that the mind has been a horrible thing to waste. Gregory’s electric embellishments and added trumpet/French horn effects help to flesh out this pièce de résistance while sturdy backup vocals and an amped-up rhythm section carry this collection of humorous reminders that we’re all pretty much our own Kings of Whatsisname.

With no relation to E. M. Forster, the melancholic “Room With A View” begins slowly with a tender acoustic guitar intro as Robinson’s equally compassionate vocal paints as attractive an image of loneliness as might be possible. Wotlil contributes a searing guitar break as if to shatter the overall greyness of the subject matter.

“Hesitation Blues” features some highly-animated bass lines however its upbeat, keyboard-heavy presentation seems to have little to do with the blues, making it largely disposable. Or, perhaps this is because it’s buttressed by back-to-back, uncommonly superlative tracks?

“Golden (Interlude)” is a string-embellished notion of a song – all acoustic guitar and string-like trappings – which, when combined with the chorus of lighter-than-air “Ah’s” and little else create a full-on, somewhat delicious dream sequence.

Taking another familiar, ironic expression “Who Knew?” – Robinson adds more humorous quips in a childlike song format – equal parts nursery rhyme (does anyone else hear snippets of “Feeling Groovy”?) and parental told-you-so’s – which underline the boldness of youth in the absence of plans. What did we think might happen? At the same time, the liquid guitar notes together with harmonies which might have fallen out of a Beach Boys’ Holland take, lift this beyond any state of mere sarcasm.

And, finally – complete with a birdsong preamble – “Treasure” is a slow dance of a love song. Pity any woman having to live up to a loving tribute this rich in heartfelt emotion and undying praise – yet the words are kept earthbound thanks to a sympathetic read on electric guitar, walking bass and percussive effects. Drop-dead gorgeous harmonies seal the deal while the sound of crickets break yet another Beatle-esque spell as the song drifts away. If you try hard enough, adventurous listeners might hear the sounds of Syrinx’s “Tillicum” rekindled along the way – yet this would be clearly an accidental act of this dreamlike trance.

Steve Robinson has written these 11 originals and, in addition to his transcendent vocal ability, supplies acoustic guitars, mandolin, ukulele and electric guitars to the mix while his musical partner, Woltil, contributes the rest, making this a two-man musical powerhouse of meticulous proportions. Their work has been called everything from “pastoral” and “regal” to “folk-rock” and “pop rock folk.” Clearly, it goes beyond these limited descriptors. Yet, to label it ‘intelligent pop’ only underscores the musical quality of this sublime collection.

More simply put, call it one of the most beautiful releases you’ve heard in years – and that’s a good place to start.