The Lodger
SLR 80 » released May 2008
DIGITAL » Bandcamp | Apple Music | Amazon Music| 1. | My Finest Hour | 7. | A Year Since Last Summer |
| 2. | The Good Old Days | 8. | An Unwelcome Guest |
| 3. | Falling Down | 9. | Running Low |
| 4. | Honey | 10. | Nothing Left (To Say) |
| 5. | The Conversation | 11. | Famous Last Words |
| 6. | A Hero's Welcome | ||
Our Leeds-based pop heroes return with a stunning sophomore album. Carefully conceived as a proper album rather than "merely" a batch of great songs, Ben, bassist Joe Margetts and drummer Bruce Renshaw have created what could be one of the top albums of 2008, and certainly a great album in the long tradition of UK guitar pop. More textural and varied that its predecessor, Life Is Sweet is still filled with gorgeous melodies and some of the catchiest tunes you'll ever have stuck in your ear, but it also is deeper and more thoughtful, full of emotional peaks and valleys. Rather than just chip in with an album of "more of the same," the band has paid extra attention to the arrangements, with judicious use of 12-string and acoustic guitars, lap steel and violin adding crucial detail and depth to the tunes.
And what about the songs? These are easily the strongest set of Lodger tunes yet. Opener "My Finest Hour" is an upbeat charmer that reminds one of The Pale Fountains, setting a wistful tone for the rest of the album. First single "The Good Old Days" is pure Sound of Young Scotland energy; with it's scratchy riff, driving drums, sing-along chorus and bouncing bass it's bound to fill dancefloors for years to come. "Honey" is a beautiful country-tinged lament, setting the table for "The Conversation," whose tough verses set the listener up for the chorus' surprising melodic burst. "A Year Since Last Summer" is pure strummy pleasure, a two minute tribute to the genius of The Housemartins.
And so it goes - superb tune after superb tune, each one distinct from the others but taken together building Life Is Sweet into an assured example of the pop songwriter's and band's craft. It's a true classic, a brilliantly written, produced and sequenced album that reveals new facets and produces new favorites with each listening.
Vinyl lovers take note: the LP edition of Life Is Sweet is pressed on virgin vinyl and comes packaged in a gorgeous 60s-style heavy cardboard jacket.
What's been said about Life Is Sweet
"Life Is Sweet is a great little pop record." - Indie-MP3
"Life Is Sweet is a confirmation of the promise made by Grown-Ups that firmly plants the Lodger at the head of the class of indie pop in the late 2000s." - Allmusic.com
"I can see this ending up on several year's-end best-of lists." - FensePost
Notes:
Note: This CD is also out in the UK on Bad Sneakers, in Germany on Noise Deluxe and in Japan on fabtone. The vinyl LP is only available on Slumberland.
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