The most underrated singer-songwriter working today? Maybe. Call Simon Love that, sure, but also call him the heir to a tradition owned by those on the outskirts of Britpop, think The Supernaturals and Pelvis more than the Gallaghers. His new record, Love, Sex and Death etc, out now on Tapete is a winner, and a worthy follow-up to his last album nearly four years ago
Opener "Me and You" recalls both The Kinks and Robbie Williams in his early Britpop phase. That's an odd combo, sure, but Simon is aiming for the erudition and wit of the Davies brothers, and the singalong quality of Rob and his era's peers. Elsewhere, "The Fuck-Up" eases in front of a listener with the slumped genius of a Pavement jam from the Clinton years even as the melody unfurls into something a good deal more ornate. Clever, and smartly observed, this is politically sharp, but oddly lovely too. Like so much here, there's a vibe that owes quite a bit to Ray Davies, even if the hooks make us recall the class of 1997 too.
Love appeals to me more when he hews close to the catchy stuff, though "You're on Your Own" is pure Muswell Hillbillies and so sort of appealing in a different way. Still, Simon is so good at crafting hooks that one almost wishes he would just put his whole heart in it and write the sort of thing that Noel Gallagher thinks he can keep writing but can't. There's a massive hit in Simon Love's future, but it's not here on Love, Sex and Death etc. What is here is brilliant in spots, and politically cutting as well, but it's ultimately and oddly ornate form of indie. Fans of Momus, The Supernaturals, Pelvis, The Jazz Butcher and any other band I've referenced above will find things to love here as I did.
Love, Sex and Death etc is out now via Tapete.
[Photo: Rose Stone]