R.I.P. Joe Cassidy

aka Butterfly Child. One of those people who seemed to be way more obscure than was warranted. I always kind of lumped him in with Babybird, as the two of them were similar UK pop wunderkinds who were basically solo acts with band names that created a minor (barely above fruit fly level) buzz in the U.S. in the mid-late 90s, then instantly faded back into the ether, despite apparently still putting out stuff occasionally. Cassidy never seemed to gain any traction, despite making music that seemed pretty danged accessible to my ears - probably it came down to timing. If he'd emerged in the days of the ascendancy of Damien Rice and Coldplay, he might've made a go of it. He was too late for Sophistipop but too early for the "If Radiohead is getting weird, we'd be glad to re-record The Bends for them" movement.

[thequietus.com]

His name sounds familiar - been struggling to remember if I ever heard him. Surely Onomatopoeia or Soft Explosives crossed my desk when I was reviews editor of Pop Culture Press. I certainly remember Babybird's major label album coming through.

Even if I'm not familiar with him, it's a shame to hear that a musician whose work meant something to at least a small group of people has passed without much notice. That Quietus article makes him sound like someone I need to hear.