You have to hand it to Ivor Games. Since 1996 he's been self releasing albums of his quirky minimalist songs every two years without any great expectations of fame and fortune.
It probably helps that he doesn't set his sights too high. We know from previous releases and his website bio that he either likes pottering about at home or playing songs to a small audience in the middle of nowhere.
Like an anonymous blogger, Ivor is not motivated by any dream of winning over a large audience; he just happens to enjoy writing and playing short, acoustic tunes.
True to past form, the eight new songs on Freckles are stripped back to the bare essentials and, as per usual, not one track exceeds two minutes.
Anyone else might regard these merely as demos but to Ivor they are the finished article. He doesn't see the point in embellishment so each song gets straight to the point and then he's ready to move on.
He doesn't waste money on publicity either. In a handwritten letter that comes with the disc, Ivor describes it as "a summery record".
But truth be told, he's not much of a summer in the city kind of guy. On Summer Days, he sings "we should be happy now" - the operative word being 'should'.
On the personification of happiness in a song called .... wait for it ..... 'Happiness', Ivor sings "I live in hope that we'll get together soon". which hardly sounds like a man unconditionally embracing joy and optimism.
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We learn that he doesn't like the heat (Too Hot For Me) and ,as I'm Going For A Day Out makes plain, he likes the idea of escaping into the country by train: "in just an hour out of the city I'll be a standing in a field".
With characteristic perversity, the EP's opening song is called This Time It's Time To Go as though Ivor is preparing for departure having only just arrived; it closes with a very brief reprise of the same tune with the repeated refrain which goes (you've guessed it!): "This time it's time to go".
In other songs, he wonders whether he's too much of a "saddo" on Saturday Night, reflects that "Whatever we do we are always alone" (Always Alone) and, on Happy New Year, is content to see the back of one year and the beginning of the next.
So, as far as Summer records go, it doesn't rival The Beach Boys but , like the artist himself, it's very likeable and English to the bone.
Ivor Game's website
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