Scroll down for reviews of the latest from The Happy Losers, Cornershop, Eric Lichter and The Get Up Kids. Click here for reviews of the latest from Dora Flood, The Waxwings, Pet Shop Boys and Kristian Hoffmann.

Badly Drawn Boy
About A Boy

(ArtistDirect)

badlydrawnboy.co.uk

Not a true follow up to his fabulous debut The Hour Of Bewilderbeast, fans of Badly Drawn Boy (a/k/a Damon Gough) will still find familiar instrumental and songwriting aspects in this soundtrack to the film adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel. Whereas Bewilderbeast was spooky and transient, this is a much more upbeat affair. Perhaps the end product is not as substantive. Yet it still delivers the goods, as the limitations of BDB's job (to make songs that fit the movie) appear to have forced him to go in directions that he might not have on his own. The result is that the Badly Drawn Boy touch works as well with light pop as it does with deep melancholy.

Not that Bewilderbeast was all weeping and wailing. But the songs here have a totally different emotional pitch. Take "Something to Talk About", a folk-poppy tune that goes down smoothly. The composition is similar to the prior disc's "Pissing in the Wind", but the bounciness here is much more indicative of the lyrical tone. Moreover, the lyrics are very specific to the plot of the movie, but are written in a way that has more general application. It's to Gough's credit that he pulled off a thematic soundtrack that can function separately from the movie. Gough comes up with a lovely piano piece in "Separate Sigh". The song wafts in with the soulfulness of classic early-‘70s Todd Rundgren. In the midst of this slice of R & B, he throws in this ultracool piano part that is variation on John Lennon's "Imagination". The song pulses wonderfully without it, but it's the extra little touch that keeps the song from just being a slave to the light groove. I could easily hear U2 pumping this up into an anthem, but love it at this smaller scale.

And while this album may be a bit of a creative holiday for the Boy, his work with an orchestra on "Above You, Below Me" shows that he did not slack. His incorporation of strings on a song with a deliberately pinched melody is somewhat akin to XTC's recent dabbling in classical accompaniment. There is a brief breakdown that has the majesty of Ennio Morricone or Bernard Herrman, with the orchestra swooping and ascending. He contrasts the orchestra with a simple plucked guitar part. Brilliant work.
Fans of Bewilderbeest will probably be most satisfied with the jazzy "River, Sea, Ocean" and the wickedly cool instrumental "Delta (Little Boy Blues)", which manages to meld the styles of Air and Steely Dan and Isaac Hayes with some acoustic guitar mojo. Gough also backs up his oft-asserted Springsteen influence with the dust bowl ditty "A Minor Incident".

Much like Beck, Badly Drawn Boy has such a command over both song forms and the studio, that it is difficult for him to make a record that isn't entertaining at some level. This may not be very challenging, but it displays all of Gough's gifts. A swell disc.

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The Happy Losers
Harry, Beardo, Doc & Barry

(Rock Indiana)

happylosers.com

Spain's The Happy Losers were one of pleasant discoveries of the International Pop Overthrow 2000 festival. Purveying a bright pop sound that was perhaps a couple steps away from twee, the band had a strong appeal to the same part of my brain that British bands like The Housemartins and The Dentists had tickled previously. They also successfully covered my favorite track by the late, great Blow Pops, "Without Reason". Their *Apple Taste* album showed that the band's recorded work was just a bit less fully realized than their swell live act.

Two years down the road, the Losers have joined forces with the talented Michael Carpenter, and the combination is a winner. The Losers have matured and honed their writing, and Carpenter is the right producer, as he allows the band to retain their essential charm, while broadening their palette and nailing their arrangements. This record just sounds comfortable.

The Losers have also developed just a little bit more muscle and expanded their sonic palette a wee bit. Oh, the Losers still have their twee moments, and let's face it, the twee angle really works for them, as they are so squeaky clean. But other facets shine now, too. One example is "Empty Man", a downbeat chronicle, which tones down the chirpiness, applying a light gloss of Byrds jangle and some pedal steel details. Both the musical bed and the wonderful aching vocals illuminate the empathetic stance of the lyrics. Perhaps an even better example is "Down is Where I Belong To", a lament with a hook that Astrid would probably have been proud to have written. In the last minute of the song, a guitar break invites the listener into swell harmonies and a final chorus that highlights the contrast between the resigned lyrics and the music, which retains a glimmer of optimism.

Their wistfulness is put to great effect on the jangly mid-tempo "The King of R & R". The band is so relaxed and the melody is just right. Hey, a great pop song can seem so easy, and this is easily a great pop song. With a great brief guitar solo to boot. Then there's "Alexandria", one of the best illustrations of the advances the band has made over the past couple years. The song is not too far off what they've done before, but the instrumentation and the arrangement reveal increased sophistication. The distant brass at the beginning of the track, the variety of guitar sounds, the different recording techniques on the vocals, the backing vocal arrangements (the band finds a way to give each chorus a unique tweak) -- with many of these elements converging at the end of the song. This is track that would fit in well with some of the best Connells songs.

Fans of past Happy Losers records will be pleased by songs like "Hidden Room", which has a hint of Bacharach in the loungey melody and the sweet "Mas Lejos". Sometimes when a band ‘matures', it will lose fans due to a divorce from certain elements of their style. This is not such a case. This is much more the sound of a band really coming into its own. Hopefully the Losers and Carpenter will continue their collaboration, since the first time out has yielded some stellar work.

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Cornershop
Handcream For A Generation

(Wiiija)

cornershop.com

The Indian-Anglo duo has not been inactive since 1997's acclaimed When I Was Born For The 7th Time disc. In fact, mastermind Tjinder Singh focused his energy on the dance floor project Clinton, and that project has directly and indirectly influenced Cornershop. No band represents contemporary Britain better, as this album traverses indie-pop, electronica, R & B, reggae and more. The versatility is invigorating, though the band never really shapes their music into a satisfying whole. This may be due to the lack of a central vision other than, ‘here's the music we like, hope you like it too'. Some editing would have helped too. Thus, despite some great parts, the sum total is not as great as it should be, given the degree of talent and craft on display. One album that comes to mind is Sandinista by The Clash, so while this may not be an entirely splendid effort it is still endearing.

The album breaks down into the Velvet Underground inspired songs (with little wrinkles thrown in), dance tracks, reggae tracks and Otis Clay. The Chicago ‘60s soul great is the guest vocalist on the album opener "Heavy Soup". An appropriately greasy R & B track accompanies Clay's well aged voice, as Clay tells listeners about the songs they'll hear on the album. It might have been a trip to have Clay throughout the album, but it's nice to have this one track.

Fans of "Brimful of Asha" will gravitate to the LP's deserved first single, "Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III", which is cut from the same cloth, though slightly busier musically. Cornershop has certainly perfected the rock mantra. They vary this formula a bit on "People Power", which Singh states should occur during the "disco hour". And the song pulses with a Chic-type groove, which is almost as cool as their VU groove. However, on the sitar tinged "Spectral Mornings", the band takes the groove too far. Clocking in at almost 14 and a half minutes, the song is truly too much of a good thing. While a lot of the appeal of this aspect of Cornershop is in the repetitiveness of the rhythms and spare melodies, here, the premise is stretched to the breaking point.

"Music Plus 1" and "Motion The 11" are also effective tracks. The former is a pumping club number, where the band's Clinton experience has clearly benefitted them. The track has a steady beat and some nifty squiggly bass lines, with all sorts of mixing tricks, so the beat is fairly constant, but there is enough variety to hold your attention. "Motion The 11" is a dub reggae track featuring the vocal stylings of Jack Wilson and Kojak of The Nazarites. If you're not a fan of late-‘70s reggae, you won't like this, but it sounds good and adds to the universal feel of the album.

But other forays outside the pop-rock arena don't seem totally thought out, and here the Sandinista comparison really fits. Much like the tracks on sides 5 and 6 of that three LP set , songs like "Slip the Drummer One" sound like works in progress, with bits of ideas, but no central idea strong enough to support a song. A fair amount of the disc, particularly on the second half, consists of this filler, which drags the album down, and causes wear on the skip button on the CD player. Problematically, the virtues of Cornershop and the drawbacks seem to be rooted in their catholic incorporation of styles. So I'm not sure if they'll ever make a tight, cohesive album in the future. Still, when everything works, they are pretty special.

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Eric Lichter
Palm Wine Sunday Blue

(Hidden Agenda)

parasol.com

Lichter steps out from his supporting role in the splendid Green Pajamas to showcase his own compositions. While Lichter has had tracks on Green Pajamas' records, the band is mainly Jeff Kelly's baby. This full length effort confirms that Lichter shares the sensibilities developed on the recent lush releases from the Pajamas, but he has his own lyrical and vocal personality, making this a very worthwhile bit of solo moonlighting.

This is pretty pop, with references points including the orch-pop brigade, John Cale and Martin Newell. In fact, Newell is an apt comparison. For most of the songs, Lichter focuses on the miniature, in contrast to the more ornate sounds of Green Pajamas, or, for example, Eric Matthews. This is fitting, as Lichter has a pretty limited vocal range. Lichter gets the most out of his natural instrument, letting its inadequacies bring out a charming vulnerability. Moreover, Lichter finds a way to make his voice fit the songs without holding them back.

Most of the album is reflective and wistful. Songs like "Bag of Rice" and " Lavender Swing" have light orchestration and simple and gorgeous melodies, with Lichter's precise lyrics. The latter track is vaguely reminiscent of Cleaners From Venus' "Girl on a Swing". A companion track, I guess.

On a couple of songs, Lichter ups the energy level a bit. "Drumbox" strums along with the reserved fervor that is associated with The Church. "Singled Out" is more in the vein of a classic ‘60s folk-pop number (like The Youngbloods), with a rousing chorus, Lichter's most frenzied vocals and some great accompaniment from Paul Charles Jenson on violin.

There are two happy pop gems, though one is a bit tempered in its performance. On "Broomstones", a high vocal is teamed with a near speaking vocal, and it has a great yearning melody. This song may have benefitted from more forceful drumming, as the melody has so much drive to it. Nevertheless, the song works fine as it is. Less urgent, and actually a bit silly, Lichter waxes poetic about ‘60s Brit child star "Hayley Mills". The stately backing gives a weird twist to Lichter's speculation about possibly meeting Ms. Mills in different situations. The chorus has the swoop of recent XTC or classic Beach Boys, on a smaller scale. Lichter has convinced me – I want to meet her too, even though I didn't like The Parent Trap.

This is a little gem of a record, the type of record you like in the way you appreciate your favorite roadside diner or favorite second hand clothing store. It's not the ultimate, but it is well done and charming. If you're looking for a little psych, a little orch and good weekend morning music, this album fits the bill.

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The Get Up Kids
On A Wire

(Vagrant)

getupkids.net

The Kids are darlings on the indie/emo scene. Their last full-length Something To Write Home About expanded their audience, as it positioned them as poppier variation on groups like Superchunk, aided by their intelligent use of keyboards. The ‘chunk comparison really hits home when you focus on Matt Pryor's vocals. He definitely has the same urgent whine as Mac McCaughan.
While a quality band, the Kids didn't seem like they were on the verge of greatness. A good sound, but not enough good songs. So this album is a shocker – it's an artistic breakthrough.

Impressively, the band retains a lot of their signature elements. Still, the most noticeable change is in the arrangement department. The band breaks out acoustic guitars, new keyboard sounds and let's their songs breath. Moreover, they take the pedal off the metal, meaning that every song is not executed with urgency. Just like Willie Mitchell told Al Green to cool it down, and got great results, The Get Up Kids let some of their mellower material breathe, and the effect is like leaving Kansas and stepping into Oz. How much credit is due to producer Scott (The dB's, R.E.M.) Litt can be debated elsewhere – I'm sure the band tapped him so they could accomplish what transpired here.
The first hint that something different is going on is the opener "Overdue". This is probably the best Lilac Time song not written by Stephen Duffy. Even Pryor tones down his normally urgent voice, to suit the shambling folkie nature of the tune. Drummer Ryan Pope breaks out the brushes, and the lead guitar is all over the place, tastefully embellishing the track. A splendid start.

This new found subtlety is a tonic. It manifests itself on "Walking on a Wire", where the structure of the tune is quintessentially the Get Up Kids, but the spacious arrangement is a revelation. In the past, the band may not have been comfortable with so much quiet. Instead, the space allows the lead guitar work to work, and with such a strong melody and a perfectly suited lead vocal, there really isn't much more the track needs.

The band also knows when to layer. "Fall from Grace" is my personal pick to click. The mix of acoustic and electric guitars is perfect. The song is built on a riff where the chords sound like they are hopping over each other in succession – this sounds like it could have been pulled off an early Smithereens platter. This chord pattern and rhythm underpins the whole song, with the melody twisting from the verses to the chorus seamlessly. The rhythm itself is catchy, and the melodies only make it moreso.
Some heretofore unknown ‘60s influences peek out. "All That I Know" has some definite Beatle dust sprinkled on it. The song interposes the lead guitar with a mellotron. And the jangle at work here is very Fabs circa 1966. Impressively, these sounds are worked into a Get Up Kids tune, not a mere retro exercise. Meanwhile, a couple of songs have the melancholy pull of The Zombies. "Let the Reigns Go Loose" is a dramatic and highlighted by a pretty piano/acoustic guitar coda at the end. "The Worst Idea" has a wee bit of a garage rock meets The Attractions pulse, which works well with the Rod Argent-styled melody.

This record stands as yet another indictment of the music biz. The Get Up Kids can sell thousands of tickets in big cities across America. Yet they aren't on the mainstream radar screen. This album is so accessible (based on the band's artistic commitment, not compromise), there are thousands of rock fans, young and old, who would really dig some of these tunes. They never will.

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