Owen Ashworth, the man behind Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, still seems to be pretty painfully alone on his latest album, "Etiquette," but he's decided to expand his sound beyond just the simplest of synthesizers. This is primarily indie-electronic fare, but songs such as "Cold White Christmas" now feature piano and drums, which brings a more rounded sound to Ashworth's tales of woe. Casiotone plays at Galaxy Hut with the Donkeys, a San Diego band that plays ramshackle, lo-fi indie rock that you may remember from decades such as the 1990s.

--David Malitz (March 2006)

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is one guy (Owen Ashworth) playing outdated, battery-operated keyboards and singing sad little home-recorded songs. The shtick seems like it could wear thin after one drink, but Casiotone's recent CD, "Etiquette," widens the scope of Ashworth's instrumentation to include non-electronic elements, but the soul of his sound hasn't changed.

--Express (June 2007)