The Dayton Daily News
August 30, 1996
Robyn Hitchcock
Moss Elixir
Warner Bros.
Robyn Hitchcock -- Britpop's Eccentric Uncle -- Pares Down Once Again On Moss Elixir
by Dave Larsen
The iconoclastic singer-songwriter best known for the 1988 single "Balloon Man" has worked both solo and with bands (The Soft Boys, The Egyptians) over the course of his 20-year career. After two self-described 'airtight' albums with the now-defunct Egyptians, Hitchcock allows himself breathing room by going it alone once more.
Moss Elixir features Spartan acoustic guitar arrangements -- along with several tracks accompanied by violin or small rhythm ensembles -- giving the album a lighter feel than Perspex Island and Respect. Then there's Hitchcock's trademark whimsy, typified by song titles such as "Man With A Woman's Shadow" and "I Am Not Me".
But there's also a sense that we heard this all before. Songs such as "Sinister But She Was Happy", "The Devil's Radio", and "Beautiful Queen" are welcome additions to Hitchcock's canon, but show no musical growth from similar fare found on albums such as I Often Dream Of Trains and Eye.
Hitchcock's become that slightly off-center uncle who repeatedly regales you with the same old stories. Still, his songs stand up to endless reiteration.
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