#FeatureFriday The World Is Not Good Enough by Sean Solomon

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The World Is Not Good Enough by Sean Solomon(@foreversean.bsky.social)

About five years ago, the movie theater chain AMC started running ads where the actress Nicole Kidman praises the moviegoing experience with the now-iconic line, “Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.” The idea that in the hands of the right artist, heartbreak can be beautiful sums up my feelings about this album.

“The world is not good enough” is a bleak statement, but Sean Solomon has a way of making it sound lovely. His voice is unaffected but plaintive, and the songs are about loss, grief, disappointment, and longing. I found this combination, paired with lightly upbeat, hooky indie rock instrumentals, really potent. I’ve listened to this album repeatedly over the past few days. It’s gotten under my skin.

The track “Finish Line,” which contains the album’s title lyric, is my favorite at the moment, but there’s not a song I’d skip on this one. It works well as a full album, and paints a colorful picture, much like the animations Sean Solomon creates for many of his songs. I really like this one and expect I’ll be playing it for a while to come.

E.A

The cartoony cover art belies a more quirky upbeat album, maybe Pop Punk?, when in fact we are presented with what I equate to a Folky spin on Emo. The acoustic guitar plays the most beautiful yet sad melodies supported by a beautiful yet characterfully worn voice.

Combined with subtle flourishes of other instrumentation, some which give the songs a slight orchestral feel, such as horns, piano and some keys that are very reminiscent of a Mellotron like sound you get this really rich sound that really complements the heartbroken vibe of these songs. Heartbroken but not in an angsty sense as experienced by a teen experiencing something equating love for the first time but heartbroken in a very mature sense.

In the sense that it’s being experienced by someone that’s been around and knows how to place those feelings correctly. It’s just beautiful is all I can say, beautiful in the most honest laid bare way.

Eveyweveydevey

The first thing to strike you is the artwork which in my eyes makes you imagine some kind of compendium of child friendly songs. Confusion aside, what this album gives you is a laid back, shuffle through songs with deep, quick-witted lyrics, low key melodies and a sauntering melancholy. The arrangements are clean, direct and succinct. It feels as though they and the recordings just gave existence to the songs in a neat and professional way whilst not  feeling plotting or trite, this may seem quite a clinical review. It’s not, I’m trying to give idea to the fact that this album is a really well constructed, nicely paced album that while not being as adventurous as some does stick to it’s lane with a musical precision and identity that I find extremely pleasing.

The singer manages to hit the right note or come at them from below with an almost flat edge until it hits it. A trick I most definitely like. The lyrics feel honest and natural, clever word play, smartly placed double meanings, a dark poetry that never oversteers into misery. All the while the songs manage to have chorus’ that uplift rather than beat down.

The low-key verses with the contemplative lyrics often leading way to a raucous chorus, yes it’s been done before but why not again, and again, and again. If it’s good trick it’s a good trick.

Music is opting about choices and whether you make the rights one for you and in this case Sean Solomon is quite definitively doing that.

For those who dig Okkervil River and Fanfalo

Recommended.

Untidy Music

“The World Is Not Good Enough” is an album that should annoy me. It’s music by a guy with a guitar, who’s singing about every-day worries and hardships. I think we all know this particular corner of the Folk/Americana genre; full of interchangeable musicians who are all writing the same songs over and over.

However, this album avoids all of these pitfalls in a few brilliant ways. The arrangement is deceptive, in that it feels simple and quiet, but nearly each track has moments in it where the simplicity makes way for a massive swell, complete with strings, keys and horns; giving the songs a larger-than-life sensation, without feeling overbearing or unnatural.

Then there are the lyrics, which do not exclusively focus on external factors (the partner you didn’t get, the job that sucks, etc), but instead is very self-reflective; making the songs about a person that has and is still growing despite the challenges life is offering.

And finally we have the vocals. Sean has a very special quality to his voice, in that he sounds very reserved and pulled back during most of the verses and then is able to produce a clear and ringing belt, that is feeling like taking a hammer to the stomach. There is a raw earnestness and total honesty in his tone that is absolutely electric. It’s the kind of voice that is ordinary, yet exceptional because of that.

Overall, this is a fantastic album. The emotion is palpable and relatable, the performance is extraordinary, the arrangement is inspired, and the lyrics are like an exposed nerve. In the hands of another artist, I might be annoyed by this music. Instead, I absolutely love it.

Florgoth

Updated: July 3, 2026 — 5:27 am

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