The reunion of The Soft Boys in 2001 was something of a pleasant if albeit unexpected surprise. Band leader, guitarist and vocalist Robyn Hitchcock had worked with all of the ex-Soft Boys in some faculty (either on his solo albums or as his backing band in The Egyptians) since the bands' demise in 1981. This line-up is the same one that had recorded the band's magnum opus Underwater Moonlight. It's fairly safe to say that there is virtually no difference in Robyn's lyrical persona or from what he had been doing just previous to this. And there's little to no effort to imitate the busy arrangements that band had been mining at their outset. If anything these make the songs themselves and the album as a whole far more enjoyable.
Released
in 2002 on Matador Records, shortly after the tour and reissue of the
Underwater Moonlight
(in
celebration of that albums 21st
birthday), Nextdoorland is
one of Robyn's better releases from the 2000's. He definitely seems
to be rejuvenated to be playing with lead guitarist Kimberly Rew,
bassist Matthew Seligman and drummer Morris Windsor once again. The
sweet backing vocals or Rew & Windsor are certainly nice to hear
alongside Robyn's Syd Barretesque crooning. And it's nice to hear
Robyn and Kimberly playing together in a modern context as well. The
songs themselves work as a unified whole. “I Love Lucy”,
“Japanese Captain”, “Pulse Of My Heart” and “Unprotected
Love” being among the stand-out tracks. Outtakes from this album
were issued later that year as the EP
Side Three.
Side Three.
The
vinyl release was pressed on 150 gram vinyl and came packaged with a
7” single of live versions of “Underwater Moonlight” and “Only
The Stones Remain”that were both recorded at the Hollywood Bowl.
This
was rated as one of the best albums of the year when it was released
and I'll stand by it.
Here's The Video Review:
Special Thanks: Doug Mashkow of New Music Scene.
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