One of Brit-pop's foremost "superbands,"
Lodger was created from the ashes of indie also-rans
Powder and
Delicatessen,
both of which disbanded on the back of their genre's diminishing
popularity by the late '90s. Not to be carried with the ebbing tide,
vocalist
Pearl Lowe and husband
Danny Goffey of
Supergrass, in a rare side project, joined forces with singer
Neil Carlill and guitarist Will Foster (both with
Delicatessen
while the album was being made) to make a record worthy of a lot more
than a final flourish to brief respective recording careers. With more
than a passing similarity to
Suede, there is more to
Lodger than the obvious collation with
Lush or
Sleeper that accompanies any female-fronted British group. In fact, this release would sit alongside anything in a
Supergrass fan's collection. The folky direction can be held up to that of
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, while the frequent brass and string arrangements and rousing choruses of "Bones" and "Love Is the Game" allude to
Blur.
Distinctive though is the diversity channelled via difficult tempo and
key changes, guitar twists, and haunting piano parts. From this period
in British songwriting comes instantly identifiable four-minute pop
songs on the downbeat subjects of heartache and headaches, drug use, and
the complexities of society. Interspersed with dark folk-ballads,
A Walk in the Park is high in content of vocal duets between
Lowe and
Carlill,
which provide quirky diversions from the slow momentum of the album as a
whole and its subject matter. Opening track "I'm Leaving" is the
highlight, equally as a bright singalong and also as a creepy
piano-laden ballad, as
Carlill's
distinctive straining vocal style is unlike anything you've ever heard
of someone attempting emotional melodies. Its theme of a seething
argument between lovers made it a British single-chart hit as audiences
could relate to its updated trashy lyrics albeit in the traditional
mould of
Lee Hazlewood and
Nancy Sinatra.
From an important decade in British music in terms of originality and
inventive prose, this is an important release, although not commercially
successful. Dedicated historians and fans of the bands involved need to
seek this out and be pleasantly surprised by its unexpected original
content.
Tracklist
| 1 |
I'm Leaving |
3:27
|
| 2 |
Always Round Here |
2:57
|
| 3 |
This Girl's In Love With Me |
3:47
|
| 4 |
Bones |
4:44
|
| 5 |
Love Is The Game |
3:02
|
| 6 |
Old Ways |
2:59
|
| 7 |
Cold Breeze |
3:48
|
| 8 |
Top Gear Luv |
3:28
|
| 9 |
Small Change |
2:47
|
| 10 |
Stepped On |
3:51
|
| 11 |
Ciao |
2:33
|
| 12 |
Safe |
4:54 |