Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Rattlesnakes Review

BLEEDING HEART BOOKWORMS BOUND BY THE PAGES

This is chef's kiss Jangle Pop. Just the right amount of, well, everything. Whimsical guitars fluttering along to the heart of a romantic, hooks that deceive in simplicity yet strut out well-adorned intricacies, and a vocalist swooning heartfelt eulogies to loves both past and present. Lloyd Cole certainly bares resemblance to Morrissey of The Smiths, with his jaunty histrionics and poetic missives, best seen on 'Forest Fire' and 'Four Flights Up.' But his intellectual ramblings, balancing naturally between fitted and loose, provide a much-needed identity for The Commotions. The two lead singles flaunt this ideology the best, 'Perfect Skin' and 'Rattlesnakes,' as hurried percussion pursues Cole and his systematically imperfect mind. A pretentious statement, I'm aware, but one that still finds applicability, especially when he's contorting phrases like "I'm up on the pavement, they're all down in the cellar / With their government grants and my I.Q. / They brought me down to size, academia blues." It's impossible to weave that into structure, yet Cole insists upon it, forcing the hand of The Commotions to manage complexity, resulting in highly-developed works that you don't typically find in the rather straightforward Jangle Pop.

Layering is perhaps Rattlesnakes' greatest accomplishment, for every song apart from the Singer/Songwriter dirge of '2CV,' rallies both diversity and depth. Some, like 'Speedboat' and 'Forest Fire,' invite a moody twang that entrenches itself in diligence and restraint. Like drinking a fine wine, unconcerned with events outside of the taste and smell. Others though, like 'Rattlesnakes' and 'Patience,' dance eagerly around hopeful melodies that position Cole with the wind at his back. Closer 'Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?' eloquently incapsulates all these ideas, citing itself as both sanguine and apprehensive, with lyrics that cut to the core of spirited teenage romance while still managing to evade such reluctance due to its endearing charm. The female background vocals on both this and 'Patience' add to the mystique, and is just one example of the myriad of functional extremities The Commotions utilize when providing detail work to their categorical Jangle Pop. A fantastic record from top to bottom, upon listen, one can't deny Rattlesnakes' place amongst the top echelon of the genre. The Queen Is Dead, it nears.