thirty eight: Paul Dixon

Paul Dixon is currently based in London "via Manchester", so I'm half assuming he's at University right now, correct me if I'm wrong.
Stumbled upon in the process of organising a new project, I instantly took to Dixon's ditties.
The two songs available to stream on his myspace are beautifully crafted and catchier than the cold I have at the moment (back off, seriously).
My personal favourite (and current "walking to college song"), Constellation, is a slow burning love song that builds on the simple beginning that Dixon marks out in the shape of a piano and his distinctive vocals. When the chorus kicks in, a bass drum, handclaps and chopping strings have joined the ensemble to create a melancholy coolness that hangs over your shoulders and may even evoke a sigh or two, the lyrics certainly reflect this idea anyway, "All we face is heartbreak/And all of this will be left".

Second track, The Hill is much more cheery and rather like the title, gets more and more delightful as it progresses, just like a hill gets higher the more you walk...see? And despite a soft opening has the pace to remind us in the dismal Winter what that thing called Summer was like all those months ago. Once again, the subject appears to be a relationship of days gone by, but there's more optimism there as Dixon croons "Why can't we stay together?"

Paul's touring in '09 and I for one am keeping my fingers crossed that he'll be gracing Manchester with his presence.

Listen to Constellation here.