By Jason Barnard
DIY pioneer, Martin Newell, produces another excellent album with The Last Boy in the Locarno on Soft Bodies Records.
The last few years have seen a resurgence of interest in the the Wild Man of Wivenhoe, including a reissue campaign and regular releases of fresh material.
Of the new releases, his 15th album as The Cleaners From Venus, The Last Boy in the Locarno, does not disappoint.
Many of the tracks are reflective of love and life, with Martin deftly shifting music styles to suit. Worth the price of admission alone is ‘The Crystals and Ronettes’. A nostalgic ode to teen angst, the dance floor and the wall of sound – it’s up there with any of Martin’s songs.
‘Gorgeous Day’ shows Newell, in acoustic psych bossa nova mode with reflective video leading the album’s publicity.
Elsewhere Pauline channels his inner Ray Davies. ‘English Pier’ and ‘You’re Looking Great’ showing Martin’s knack for applying a deceptively simple approach to songwriting.
After a slew of memorable tracks, Martin finishes with the wistful ‘How the West Was Won’, an ode to changes in English pub culture and class.
‘The Last Boy in the Locarno’ is quintessentially Newell and is available digitally on iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp and just about everywhere else.
CD exclusively from Bandcamp: http://thecleanersfromvenus.bandcamp.com/
Martin Newell: http://www.martinnewell.co.uk/
Soft Bodies Records: http://www.softbodiesrecords.co.uk/
Twitter: @softbodies
