LLOYD COLE

The Negatives [XIII Bis Records]

The learned Scottish singer-songwriter enjoyed his fifteen minutes as the new Dylan back in the early eighties, but he was really a slightly more cheerful Lou Reed, his literate and melancholic lyrics bringing us engrossing observations of life on the dark side of the hard shoulder. And he’s still at it.

While not quite recapturing the highs of his Rattlesnakes era, The Negatives (also the name of his band) has Cole back in fine form, his brooding, matinee-idol voice delivering a bunch of wholesome post-hippy songs that are occasionally too wordy (and too worthy) for their delicate melodies, but are invariably cute and cuddly when you get to know them better.

On the forlorn ‘No More Love Songs’ Cole’s voice evokes that of Morrissey at his most cheerfully morose. For ‘Too Much E’ he wears his Roger McGuinn/Byrds influence on his sleeve, with stinging guitars and lyrics that make you wonder what really happened to The Negatives at the chemist. ‘Past Imperfect’ harks back lyrically and style-wise to the days of ‘Perfect Skin’, and it and the jangly ‘Impossible Girl’ are vintage Cole. The churchy organ on ‘I’m Gone’ is a master-stroke and when the guitar chimes in the track truly soars and you regret how short if sweet it truly is.

If you worshipped at the altar of ‘Lost Weekend’ and ‘Brand New Friend’ you’ll not be disappointed with this new collection. Matters are a bit laboured at times, not least because the basic musical backdrop of jangly guitar, bass and drums rarely strays from a solid four to the floor beat. But all in all The Negatives has more positives than its name suggests.

Jackie Hayden