SOFT BOYS
Nextdoorland (Matador)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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Reunion albums can be a tricky proposition. A band can reunite and create a new album that relies on the best of what made them good in the first place, which may find them simply treading water. Or they can try and create something in which they attempt to "update" their sound and compete with the current musical crop, often as not resulting in a misguided release, which confuses their longtime fans and gains them no new ones either. At best they can try and find a middle ground between the two, which is what the Soft Boys have done with their new release Nextdoorland. This may not be Underwater Moonlight part two, but it comes damn close. Since Robyn Hitchcock has continued to make decent, often very engaging, albums, and his longtime backing band has basically been the Soft Boys minus Kimberly Rew, it's not surprising that this albums sounds a little bit like both. But having Rew and Hitchcock trading off really cool guitar parts makes a load of difference. There's a different dynamic at play here, something which sits up and cries "Soft Boys are back!" Some songs, like "I Love Lucy," "Sudden Town" and "Strings" all sound like they could've been recorded for Underwater Moonlight. Others, like "My Mind Is Connected" and "Mr. Kennedy" have more of a Hitchcock solo vibe. Overall, though, this is quite a good album. There's nothing at all embarrassing on it, it sounds very "organic" and best of all, it really sounds like the Soft Boys. And that's important.

© 2003 - Alan Wright