Album Review: Brix Smith & Marty Willson-Piper - "Lost Angeles"

 

The prospect of a team-up between Brix Smith (formerly of the Fall and Brix & The Extricated) and former Church and All About Eve man Marty Willson-Piper was an intriguing one for sure. It's safe to say that both of them have an output that's been pretty varied over the last 30-40 years so there was a feeling that this really could go pretty much anywhere.

Opening track Backwards actually sounds like Blondie in one of their moodier moments with Brix's gentle vocals and Piper's weaving guitar (including a cracker of a solo) blending together well to get Lost Angeles off to a strong start. The gentle guitars and background distortion of On Top Of You meanwhile remind me of Split era Lush which is no bad thing before the drums kick in to take the song somewhere a bit more sinister.

Lost Angeles is a bit more of a gentle album than I was expecting but that's no bad thing - the languid Sorry is six minutes long but crucially doesn't feel like it which is always a good sign with Brix and Marty's yearning vocals blending well with some good guitar work and the glockenspiel led Joys Of You is a gentle summery song with the Mariachi trumpet on it and closer Hooves For Hands giving them an almost Arthur Lee style feel. Elsewhere the likes of Super Softy and Little Wounds show a spikier post-punk sensibility creeping in which helps to vary things up when need be and the sinister Flower even dips a toe into Siouxsie-style goth waters. Best of all is Star which sees Willson-Piper's gentle guitars mixed with some spiky spiteful lyrics from Brix and combines the two sides of this album well.

Both Smith and Wilson-Piper are on good form here and they've combined their talents well to create an enjoyable, varied and surprisingly melodic album which is well worth a listen. Recommended.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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