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Article: When I first got this CD, it came in a clear paper CD envelope and had the word "Demos" stamped across it by hand. I know it was by hand because I watched Rob Shortill, the musical force behind This Is Picture, assemble it himself from what appeared to be a spindle of home-burned CD-ROMs. Some might say that, given these low-tech trappings, that this demo CD is the sort of thing that it's not fair to judge an artist on. However, I think that that couldn't be any further from the truth.

The acoustic guitar can be an extremely subtle instrument for a rock musician to play; a capella singing can be doubly so. To compensate for that, a lot of artists try to be bold in their acoustic work, hoping that their lyrical content or singing style will provide a counterpoint for the subtlety. Not so with This Is Picture, however; instead of running from the potential perils of the music he plays, Rob embraces it, taking his songs into a quiet, introspective place, relying on the strength of his lyrics to still engage the listener.

It's a very experimental album, as well - over the course of the six songs on it, there are flourishes of a capella singing and of classical guitar, as well as the more traditional folk-rock elements. They're not musical styles that would normally mesh that well together, but there's an earnestness to This Is Picture that manages to hold the entire thing together.

Learn more about this author, Ryan Harron.
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