Omnivore Recordings

Released overseas earlier this year, Standards is without a doubt Lloyd Cole’s best album since 1984’s Rattlesnakes, his landmark debut with The Commotions. These 11 cuts reunites the singer with his bandmates from his excellent early 90s works, 1990’s Lloyd Cole and 1991’s Don’t Get Weird On Me, Babe, Matthew Sweet on bass and former Scritti Politti drummer Fred Maher, who has played on such landmark LPs as Lou Reed’s New York and Mr. Sweet’s essential Girlfriend. But with Standards and such sonic highlights as “No Truck”, “Blue Like Mars” and the cover of John Hartford’s “California Earthquake” which opens up the record, this mega combo is bolstering a louder, more electric sound here, with Cole claiming to have found inspiration to turn up the volume from listening to Bob Dylan’s 2012 album Tempest. However, from the sinewy delivery of the guitar work on here, easily some of the best of his career, Cole seems more influenced by Television, quite honestly. Joan Wasser of Joan as Police Woman fame also appears throughout the album on piano and backing vocals, even furthering Standards’ position as the new standard in the work of this unsung hero of modern rock.