New album: Chasing Shadows
Artist: The Lost Patrol
Label: TLP Records
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
New York’s favorite purveyors of noir-rock The Lost Patrol have delivered their most diverse work yet on “Chasing Shadows.”
Right off the bat, you can tell the band have shaken things up with the thick, rolling organ romp of “Creeper.” Sounding like Deep Purple’s legendary organist Jon Lord somehow hooked up with Angelo Badalamenti, “Creeper” is a perfect showcase for vocalist Mollie Israel — who herself is unquestionably the greatest female rock vocalist around.
“Too Hard Too Fast” sounds like a glorious collision of The Police and Blondie, with Stephen Masucci’s airy-textured guitar inducing the same types of goosebumps once plumped by Andy Summers.
The tasteful acoustic 12-string work of Michael Williams is the perfect rustic counterpoint to the reverb-drenched guitars and keyboards. If Julee Cruise isn’t available for the new Twin Peaks reboot, these guys should most definitely become the new house band at The Roadhouse.
The addition of drummer Tony Mann is a welcome one. Mann’s sense of swing propels turns “I’m 28” into a waltz for the flabbergasted, while Israel’s beautiful rant comes off as oddly soothing. Mann also lends some genuine rock grit to the buoyant “Hurricane,” itself one of the Lost Patrol’s more straight-up rockers.
As consistent as The Lost Patrol have always been, lead singer Mollie Israel — who joined the band in 2007 — continues to evolve as a vocalist. The earlier pronouncement of “greatest female rock singer” wasn’t hyperbole. Israel has found the perfect musical foils in Masucci and Williams, and they are one song placement in a film or TV show away from becoming the next Blondie or Garbage. If you’d like to be one of the cool kids who accuse The Lost Patrol of selling out when they eventually hit it big, you need to check out “Chasing Shadows” now to start building up that righteous indignation.
Classic album: Synchronicity
Artist: The Police
Label: A&M
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
In 1983, the only pop/rock act that might have been as hot as Michael Jackson was The Police. Their album from that year “Synchronicity” spawned five hit singles — including “Every Breath You Take” — one of the most played radio songs of all time.
Although it seemed to go largely unnoticed at the time, “Every Breath You Take” isn’t so much about love as it is obsession. Anyone playing any attention to the lyrics will pick up the intended creepy vibe. Since the MTV video for the song was simple and left open to interpretation, “Every Breath You Take” ended up being used in wedding ceremonies around the world.
At the dawn of the 1980s there were legions of bands trying to sound like The Police, but the musical curiosity of Sting, drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers kept them a few steps ahead of their imitators. Copeland’s love of world music deeply influenced the sprawling “Walking In Your Footsteps,” while the music Andy Summers wrote for “Murder By Numbers” is one of the greatest combinations of jazz and rock ever put to tape.
Oh, the album also featured the unlikely pop hits “King Of Pain,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger” and “Synchronicity II”. “Synchronicity I” wasn’t a singler, but boy it should have been. Copeland’s storming beat and blitzkrieg marimba playing on “Synchronicity I” make for one of the band’s greatest musical statements. The almost psychedelic “Tea In The Sahara” was a perfect vehicle for Summers’ spaced-out but precise guitar work.
“Synchronicity” was the biggest and last album The Police ever released. Sting and Copeland nearly killed each other during its creation, so when the dust settled the boys went their separate ways.
There are a couple of dud songs on “Synchronicity,” but the brilliance of the aforementioned songs far outweighs any nitpicking over the odd track or two.
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Jon Dawson’s album reviews appear every Thursday in The Free Press. Contact Jon at 252-559-1092.