Even before considering the lyrics, I was intrigued by some
of the songs titles – ‘Dance in an Empty Field,’ ‘Sellotape My Heart.’ But the
lyrics are remarkable; they’re full of delightful surprises but are never
awkward or overblown. There is a danger – with poets who are also songwriters –
that their song lyrics are no more than poems set to redundant music, that the
words have more weight than the music, as if the text could do its job on its
own without the need for a musical accompaniment. Ideally, the music should be
integral to the lyrics, and vice versa – otherwise it’s not songwriting but mere
words-set-to-music. Moreno understand this. Being both a poet and a songwriter,
he makes the words and music work perfectly together.
There’s great humour too. ‘Solitude’ addresses Solitude personified:
“...Solitude, I am sick and tired of being alone with
you, surely things must change...” and “...O solitude you charlatan, you
made porridge with our brains...”
‘Feel Like Dancing’ is an alternative take on the countless
pop songs that express the desire to get on the dance floor; Moreno’s is a
tribute to the introvert’s joy in dancing alone at home:
“I feel like dancing, alone in my room, / here I am the
genius of mirrors and cells, / I am building a dance floor with my favourite
books, / I am closing the window to my worldly concerns...” while ‘Everyday
News’ is a beautiful, piano-based song, which has the lullaby-quality of some
of Tom Waits’ early heart-breaking songs. Moreno’s music, though, has an unmistakably European
feel, with its lyrics referencing Baudelaire and Yeats and a musical landscape
that reminds me of the best of Peter Sarstedt.
