Albert Hammond Jr has proved to naysayers that he is not just the Strokes’ mysterious rhythm guitarist, after a great debut solo record, Yours To Keep, he’s come back stronger than ever with his sophomore LP Como Te Llama. “In My Room”’s heavy guitar sounds are nothing like anything on YTK, or any Strokes record for that matter. If his debut was a children’s lullaby, Como Te Llama is an angsty teenager realizing the power of their voice. “LET’S MAKE SOME NOISE!” seems to be the message Albert is trying to send.
“Lisa”, my least favourite track on the album, establishes that this album will not be one long drone, but a mixture of different genres, including the beautiful instrumental track “Spooky Couch” and the very reggae “Miss Myrtle”. Albert experiments with his vocals in vein of Julian a la First Impressions on “Rocket” and “Victory at Monterey.” Albert's incredible musical talent manifests itself with "GfC", but so does his evident lack of mindblowing lyrics. Perhaps this is the reason that they were left out of the liner notes...
"I remember being on stage and wanting to have different kinds of songs," Albert said. "When you go and tour your first record you only have your 11 songs and a few covers, maybe. You're craving new songs. I write everyday. Slowly it starts to come out -- all the experiences you've had. At the end, you have this product that's from music influences, movie influences, life influence, playing live ... everything."
The record is all over the place, but Albert ends it perfectly with “Feed Me Jack or How I stopped Worrying and Love Peter Sellers”, one of the most subtly powerful and incredibly moving songs Albert has ever written. It’s as though he wants to remind fans that after the day is done, and he’s finished experimenting, he will always be the Albert who warms our hearts and our souls.
4/5 stars
Albert Hammond Jr - GfC [mp3]
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