Bad Lieutenant: "Never Cry Another Tear"
TobiasIf you’d ever thought there was something about New Order frontman Bernard Sumner that bespoke James Taylor or a cuckolded Michael Stipe, there was evidence to be found here and there, but this project does have a knack for spotlighting the pure pop element of which he’s capable.
Matter of fact, until the familiar highwire bass line shows up 3 minutes into second track “Twist of Fate,” it may as well be a Regis & Kelly-approved REM album. That’s not a bad thing at all if you ever made out to the island-vacation patter of “Love Less” from New Order’s Technique – and what citified 80s survivor didn’t – a tune that now has a not-horribly-distant grand-nephew in “Summer Days,” a tune done up with a lot of intimate, historically correct 80s touches and an extended-length beach-time guitar solo.
Speaking of REM, again, distorted cowboy-alt guitar suits the band adequately enough in “This is Home,” and it’s about there where you’re hoping for something goosebump-raising along the lines of “All the Way.” “Poisonous Intent” comes close, but the intent here is toe-tapper piffle for retired crook-leggers, so it’s ixnay on any really excitable stuff.
By Eric Saeger
Homepage: Bad Lieutenant