''Standards'' is a rock album by English singer, songwriter and musician

Lloyd Cole Lloyd Cole (born 31 January 1961) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was lead vocalist of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989 and subsequently worked solo. Early life Cole was born in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. He ...

released on 21 June 2013 by

Tapete Records Tapete Records is an independent record label based in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 2002 by Gunther Buskies and Dirk Darmstaedter and primarily focused on Deutschpop Bands such as Erdmöbel, Niels Frevert, Tele and Anajo. Since 2005 T ...

. It is Cole's tenth solo album under his own name, although only his second since 1995 to feature a full band of additional musicians. Cole produced the album himself with additional mixing by Olaf Opal and Joerg Siegeler.

Background

Cole says that he was inspired by the energy and vibrancy of Bob Dylan's album '' Tempest'', which surprised him considering Dylan's age. Cole said: The album is also notable for its emphasis on electric guitar; Cole had established himself as an acoustic and

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

ian through his most recent studio releases and touring predominantly as solo performer with an acoustic guitar. The band assembled by Cole includes, among others, the rhythm section from his debut self-titled solo album (1990) and his follow up ''Don't Get Weird on Me Babe'' (1991) in the form of drummer

Fred Maher Frederick J. Maher is an American drummer, music programmer and record producer. He was a member of the bands Massacre (1980–81), the Dance, Material, Scritti Politti, and has recorded and toured with Lou Reed. In 1984 he released ''Basic'', ...

and bassist

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

. Blair Cowan a former member of the Commotions plays keyboards and

Joan Wasser Joan Wasser (born July 26, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer who releases music as Joan As Police Woman. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders and played with Black Beetle, Anohni and the Johnsons, ...

plays piano and supplies additional vocals. Cole's own son William plays guitar on the album including a solo on the track 'It's Late'. William also appeared in the video for the song 'Period Piece'. Cole wrote 10 original songs for the album alone before taking them to the studio to play with the other musicians, he only had the guitar parts to play as he had not recorded demo tracks prior to entering the studio. The album features a cover of a

John Hartford John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive kn ...

song called "California Earthquake," which Cole mistakenly believed to have been a composition by John Phillips of

The Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were an American folk rock vocal group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York C ...

after hearing a version sung by

Cass Elliot Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Cass Elliot, was an American singer. She was also known as "Mama Cass", a name she reportedly disliked. Elliot was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the P ...

. The album was recorded in Los Angeles, Easthampton and New York and mixed in Bochum.

Financing

The recording of the album was partially financed through pre-sales of a deluxe limited edition of the album; the purchasers were also credited as executive producers of the album and received copies before general release. The deluxe limited edition of the album was a pre-sale exclusive and featured an additional disc of outtakes, a handwritten lyric book, and a personal note of thanks from Cole, as well as the complete album. A target of 600 box sales was successfully reached before the scheduled deadline. The rest of the recording budget was provided by

and Cole himself.

Critical reception

The album has been well received by critics and reviewers. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' described it as 'what may be ole'sbest album... he's devised a sound replete with twisting, cyclical guitar lines and tints of keyboards.' ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' wrote that 'Lloyd Cole's latest album is fine advertisement for approaching the act of writing in contemplative way. ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...

'' said of the album: 'glittering literate... with its steely interlaced guitars and high/low cultural references is like

Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

on a road trip in a top-down convertible, with a stack of jazz mags in the boot. The magazine

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

described the album as 'captivating' saying the tracks 'form a charming, intriguing whole, sometimes with telling simplicity.' Reviews have also compared the album both positively and negatively to his work with the Commotions. ''The Arts Desk'' described it as 'an album that ticks a lot of the old boxes, with some lovely dad-rock flourishes. While Roy Wilkinson writing in ''Mojo'' said the album harks back to the Commotions' second album ''

Easy Pieces ''Easy Pieces'' is the second studio album by the British rock and pop band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions. It was released on Polydor Records in the UK on 22 November 1985 and included the hit singles " Brand New Friend" (#19 in UK), " Lost Weeke ...

'', dubbing it archetypal Cole. In contrast, ''The Telegraph'' said 'Each song is carefully crafted, filled with a kind of mordant, misanthropic wit that skates over deep emotions' and that Cole fails to 'recapture the firebrand innocence of his early pop classics.'

Track listing

Personnel

;Musicians *

– guitar, keyboards, vocals, production *

– bass guitar, backing vocals *

– drums * Blair Cowan – keyboards * Mark Schwaber – guitar,

harmony vocals Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical ...

* Will Cole – guitar, harmony vocals * Matt Cullen – guitar *

– piano, harmony vocals * Dave Derby – harmony vocals * Mike Wyzik – percussion ;Technical personnel * Olaf Opal – mixing * Joerg Siegeler – mixing * Hosuk Lee-Makiyama – artwork design

Charts

References

External links

Official website album informationRecord label artist and album profile
{{Authority control 2013 albums Lloyd Cole albums Tapete Records albums