Rockbites: Lloyd Cole/The Negatives: a very positive return to form

newsarchive

April 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily

back to April 2001 index

Lloyd Cole/The Negatives: a very positive return to form
23 April 2001

Lloyd Cole, the erudite English rocker schooled in Scotland who brought us the indie smash hit Perfect Skin some 17 years ago, is back with a return to simple honesty and a turn away from the artistic pretension he pursued on some of his solo records in the ’90s. His new album, The Negatives (also the name of his new band), comprises eleven very gentle but heartfelt and cogent songs that given half a chance will burrow their way deep under your own perfect skin.
    Cole has always had a very distinctive sound, and on The Negatives he sounds exactly like himself—except when he’s trying to sound exactly like John Lennon or Roy Orbison, which he does exceedingly well (Lennon on Tried To Rock, a song-diary about Cole’s years in New York city; Orbison on I’m Gone).
    On That Boy, a song co-written with Gary Clark (producer/ songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist who’s also written for Julia Fordham, KD Lang, and Eddi Reader), he makes subtle instrumental allusion to The Police’s Andy Summers’ unforgettable staccato arpeggio hook from Every Breath You Take; the reference adds yet another dimension to an emotionally complex song in which Cole begs forgiveness in a rather novel way.
    Speaking recently on where he sees himself standing on the musical landscape, he said “In the early days of The Commotions, I used to get really upset when someone would call me a singer-songwriter. I’d say, 'No, I'm a writer.' Ah, snotty kids!
    “But now I’m definitely making claim to being part of a certain tradition. I’m not sure if I’ll be accepted yet, but I certainly have an understanding of what I’ve done for the last 15 years. It’s a wide tradition. I’d include Ray Davies, and I’d include Paul Simon. But I wouldn’t include Joy Division or The Pet Shop Boys, as much as I love them. I don’t like the term 'singer-songwriter,' but that’s what I am.”
    The Negatives (the band) includes Cole on vocals, guitar, and synths; along with David Derby (ex The Dam Builders, now by day a computer information architect on Wall Street) on bass and vocals; Michael Kotch (ex Eve’s Plum) on guitar; Rafa Maciejak (Ivy) on drums; and Jill Sobule (Denver-born solo performer) on guitar and vocals. Recorded over a span of years, the set features half a dozen guest musicians and almost as many producers—including Stephen Street and Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley.
    Apart from the involvement you’d expect of a serious artist like Cole—writing the songs, picking the musicians, choosing producers and engineers—Cole produced several of the songs himself, designed the album artwork, and put together and maintains his own Web site. I find such personal devotion by a musican who’s been in the biz nearly two decades wholly refreshing.
    Lyrically, it could not get much better than this: The Negatives has more goosebump moments than any other album I’ve heard in the past year. No, I won’t give you excerpts here because with that buildup it’s impossible you’d feel the same from a raw reprinting. Just give the record a few fair listens and you’ll discover your own personal epiphany moments in it. Suffice it to say that Cole lived these songs, understands them from their blood and nervous systems to their pores and hair follicles, and that he has ensured that every note from every instrument supports and illuminates them.
    The Negatives was released this past November in France on Megaworld, and about three weeks ago in the US on March Records. Four bites out of five.

Rockbites ratings  5: life changing, 4: stunning, 3: captivating, 2: amusing, 1: annoying.

Upcoming Lloyd Cole/The Negatives European tour dates

May
14 - Stockholm, Sweden (The Circus)
15 - Gothenburg, Sweden (Tragar'n)
16 - Copenhagen, Denmark (Lille Vega)
17 - Hamburg, Germany (Lopen)
19 - Berlin, Germany (Quasimodo)
21-22 - Dublin (Vicar Street)
23 - Cork (The Savoy)
25 - Tongeren, Belgium (The Velinx)
26 - Paris, France (Elysee Montmartre)
27 - London, UK (The Ocean)
| Lloyd Cole | | bio | | discography | | CD | | top of page |

back to April 2001 index

today’s stories •

click for Rockbites Home
	Copyright © 1998 - 2001 M. Jason. All Rights Reserved. Rockbites is not for profit and supports human rights. “Rockbites” and “Alternative Daily” are service marks of Rockbites. All names are the property of their respective owners. Send your feedback or questions to feedback@rockbites.com Send your press releases to press@rockbites.com Rockbites Alternative Daily contact information