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Personal blog and comfy corner of Lyra Rhodes: musician, cake aficionado, whinger...maybe just a place where I can stuff things (words!), rather than them falling down the back of the sofa

Monday 24 June 2013

My Amazon LLoyd Cole - Standards review

This is what I want from a Lloyd Cole album.
I was highly privileged to be part of a group of select fans who received this early, so I've had a couple of weeks to listen.
It's the strongest A side since Rattlesnakes (remember the Perfect Skin, Rattlesnakes, Forest Fire combo?), with California Earthquake (a cover, rare for Lloyd) kicking things off, and Period Piece, Women's Studies and Myrtle and Rose being VERY strong songs. The latter is now one of my all-time favourites, Lloyd's voice is mature and strong on this. It's a very powerful song.
Side B (do folks still talk about "sides"?) has Blue Like Mars (would easily sit on the Commotions "Mainstream" album in my opinion) and Opposite's Day...the latter is a very contemporary sound in my opinion.
The only thing that lets down the album is the pace... there are some forays into deeper "country" music territory than has been usual for Lloyd, never more apparent than the end of side A ("No Truck").
My HUGE realisation is that this album...well... ROCKS. The energy and vigour is amazing (apparently motivated by Lloyd reviewing Dylan's new album and realising what energy the 72 year old icon still throws out in his albums).
This is a wonderful album, and I'm stunned by it, to be honest...

2 comments:

toddfan said...

I'd have to agree with your assessment of the new Lloyd Cole. I've been a fan since the late '80's when I "discovered" him...and he quickly became one of my top 5...for a period, even my #1 favorite artists. His last one...Broken Record...never really grabbed me, but this new STANDARDS CD is definitely up there with his best. I've even found myself waking up in the middle of the night with one of the tunes stuck in my head.....

Good review!

Lyra said...

Totally agree! Broken record never really grabbed me either. Remember seeing him, oh, was it 1987/88 Bradford Town Hall! lol bouncing there in my friend's mini metro.
Myrtle and Rose is classic...classic in a Like A Rolling Stone sense... :-)