Stream session on npr.orgRobyn Hitchcock has long seemed like the guy the music gods chose to carry on for Syd Barrett after Barrett lost his way. The singer-songwriter's knack for slightly cracked, psychedelic pop whimsy picks up right where Pink Floyd's masterful The Piper at the Gates of Dawn left off.
I've been lucky enough to meet and speak with Hitchcock several times over the years, and his latest trip to the WFUV studios came on the occasion of a recent album called Goodnight Oslo. These days, Hitchcock works with the band The Venus 3, which could be considered a miniaturized version of The Minus 5, because it features The Minus 5's core: Scott McCaughey and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, along with drummer Bill Rieflin. Being that McCaughey and Rieflin are supporting R.E.M. these days, The Venus 3 adds more than a bit of Athens, Ga., to Hitchcock's very English vision.
But for this session, Hitchcock sits alone, with just his acoustic guitar, and weaves his musical magic.
Darren DeVivo