Simon D. James’ Single “Fooled By You” is the Sound of a Winnowed Ego Letting Go of Self-Destructive Instincts

SimonDJames1_sm — Simon D. James, image courtesy the artist

“Fooled By You,” the fifth release from his Days of Heaven EP, Simon D. James, sounds like he was writing this song while having a revelatory, haunted dream of a past love on a breeze swept hilltop, the landscape in amber and sepia tones. The haze of tonal white noise provides the embodiment of fog through the field of sound as James sings with a world weary forlorn quality, drawing out each syllable as minimal guitar traces the sad shadows of a misery his unconscious mind is now able to process and let go. It’s an interesting way to end an EP that begins with great energy and spirit but which is about making the same mistakes in life and being worn out into submission to a core of wanting to reclaim your dignity after your conscious mind has given up and after your ego has been eroded enough for a new, and hopefully better, you to emerge. Listen to “Fooled By You” on Soundcloud and follow James at the links provided.