Feelings Are Good by Lonely Robot

Feelings are Good is the fourth album from Lonely Robot, the solo project from musician John Mitchell. After a trilogy of albums with astronaut themes, Mitchell sets that aside to directly explore his emotions to create an album that is melodically rich and lyrically moving. Except for drummer Craig Blundell, this is a true solo project with Mitchell playing all the instruments and doing all the singing. 

Opening with robotic voices singing the title song, we hear that “feelings are good” but with the altered voice it sounds like Mitchell is trying to convince himself. After that rather sedate intro, the album dives headlong into the up-tempo “Into the Lo-fi,” a song in which Mitchell begs for his life to be rewound so he can ignore his current feelings. While Mitchell is laying bare his emotions, the music continues to be melodic and engaging. By the time we get to the delicate and beautiful “Crystalline” we begin to get a sense of the cause of his grief; “It’s the house that we made and it used to feel warm.” He continues to explore his feelings and their causes throughout the album, ending with the short but poignant “Grief is the Price of Love.” “However far you run,” Mitchell sings, “it’s not far enough.”

Feelings are Good is a well-crafted, emotional album that lets us glimpse the pain that many feel as relationships end. As Mitchell sings in “Crystalline,” he is “turning his pain into art.” (Insideout Records)