Customer Reviews

Nobody's Cool

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I still listen to it today, if that's any measure of it's worth. I'd categorize this as an unknown classic - it's a gem, and surprisingly few people have ever heard it, or even heard of it.

I'm surprised that Lotion aren't a bigger name, given the competence and talent put into this album. From the incendiary guitar sound of Sandra to the power pop rhythms in Blind for Now, this is an all around great album.

Maybe their appeal isn't as universal as the Beatles - but then rock music isn't supposed to be foot tapping ditties for blue haired grandmas. This is the real stuff - strong, bold, and literate - starting out with a Bang (Dear Sir) and never fizzling out. You could argue that this is Hard Pop - it's bright and remarkably cheerful without being sugarcoated, and they obviously know there way around their instruments. Listen to Rock Chick to see what I mean. And it's not all sweetness and light, track 7 (Sandra) is a love song through the eyes of stalker. It's remarkably engaging.

Elliot Smith fans take note - this may be just up your alley. Lotion really has something.

One of the things I noticed that this album has that others don't - every single song is good. These days it seems like you by an album for the hit song, and if there is anything else worthwhile, it's a fluke. No so here - every track is a winner, and in that Lotion stands alone.

Do yourself a favor - buy this album.

Where, oh where is _Full Isaac_? Lotion's first LP is a fine piece of work as well: scrappy in a _Slanted and Enchanted_ sort of way, but uniquely Lotion. For some reason, it's not in the amazon.com database ... must be out of print. Go scrounge the cut-out bins, folks! Also, I would like to add that the song Dalmacia has an epic quality that very few rock bands are able to effectively convey.

Even more than its predecessor, Full Isaac, this second album by the New Yorkers gave appealingly complex lyrical tales of longing with a mixture of gentle sonic assault and more mellow introspective arrangements. The notes by Thomas Pynchon are a bonus, but resulted apparently in a backlash against the band by rock snobs. I'm at a loss to explain the failure of this band or this album. It avoids being maudlin or clever or amusing, yet entertains all the way through with music and words that ring true for anyone whose infatuation remains only that.

The vocals can be strained, reflecting this almost-adolescent angst, yet this proto-emo album steps clear of pity or wallow. The more muscular production by Joe Chicarelli this time around helps the band gain a more credibly tough stance, without overpowering their layered sound or their attention to musical detail, best heard in the longer songs just before the album closes. These sweep you into the emotions sung about, and the form and the content blend perfectly as if these tales were told by a younger Humbert Humbert to a bit older, and urban, Lolita--who took out a restraining order on the guy, nevertheless. You listen and laugh because it convinces you.

This is without doubt one of the best albums to have crossed the Atlantic. "Dear Sir" sets the high quality you can expect from the rest of the album, esp. "Sandra" and "Juggernaut". Without doubt this is a great album that can be highly recommended aside "Full Isaac" as one to own.

How to begin? Lotion cannot be described by creating a descriptive hybrid of other bands or artists, nor can the band be an "index band" itself. Lotion's music stands on its own -- juicy, rockin' pop songs with quirky lyrics and individual personalities. The album isn't merely a single surrounded by trite, generic "extras," but a whole lineup of tight, catchy masterpieces with exploding choruses. From the immediate punch of "Dear Sir," the leading song, to the epitome of an unrequited love song, "The Sad Part," which is quite fun and "tasty," rather than depressing, to the multi-faceted "Sandra," and the dynamic, power-packed "Juggernaut," Nobody's Cool does not fail to deliver, and will hold a permanent place in your stereo, as well as create a thirst for more music by this fantastic group.

I first listened to this album over five years ago. I do not know why it didn't catch on with more people. It's a poppy-hip-swift rock and roll album.... . . Thomas Pynchon came out of hiding briefly to write the liner notes for it even.....

...anyway....

This is the best record this band ever released, in my opinion.

You should listen to it.