Soft Boys - Nextdoorland
(Matador)
The Soft Boys: while they're no Velvet Underground, they are definitely one of those bands that people ignore upon release only to have their true relevance bubble to the top over time. Their 1980 classic Underwater Moonlight, whose jangling guitar pop inhabited by prawns and old perverts spawned a number of admirers and imitators that included such acts as R.E.M. and Yo La Tengo, earned deluxe re-issue status by Matador around a year ago. Touring in support of the reissue, the old band felt more at home playing and being together than they had in the late '70s and early '80s, their mastery and fun with the old material (actually greeting a crowd this time around) demonstrated that they simply weren't some old band getting together to claim nostalgia and earn a few bucks. They were still tight and meant it all. Night in and night out the spark hit them and before long the group was already writing new material. Nextdoorland is the fruit of that effort. It's a noble attempt by a band that has been apart for the better part of 18 years, containing some vital moments that directly re-create their old vibe, but also a few moments that simply don't fit in as Soft Boys songs.
It would be oversimplifying matters to say that the band made their mark simply on the strength/strangeness/creativity of a young Robyn Hitchcock on guitars, vocals and a majority of the songwriting duty, but Hitchcock does provide the band's spark and life. The boys all assembled with their Barrett-era Pink Floyd and Lou Reed admiration and the burning desire to write music that was both pop and psychedelic at the same time. Punk was the rage in the UK and the four members were more interested in carrying forth the vibe of the '60s. Records such as Two Halves for the Price of One and A Can of Bees displayed the band's wit formed equally from Hitchcock's lyrics, Kimberly Rew's spastic guitar work, and the tight rhythm section of Matthew Seligman and Morris Windsor. As it was stated previously, the band simply didn't find the right audience at the time. The records created a solid following as time wore on, partially fueled by Hitchcock's solo career, and the cult grew.
Nextdoorland is automatically a bit of a mixed bag due to what it is and when it was released. A Soft Boys record being released in 2002 is bound to be odd, as you end up with a collection of men in their mid- 40s trying to create very relevant rock that they first perfected around the time that Reagan was first elected. That said, the album's ten tracks feature four to five songs that would have fit right in on Underwater Moonlight, a significant achievement by any means. The album's first two tracks are excellent examples of the band striking gold. "I Love Lucy" is a largely instrumental number that is carried by the guitar interplay of Hitchcock and Rew. Both men have significantly honed their skills since the band last recorded and this track gives them the chance to display those changes. "Pulse of My Heart" follows and is a solid three-and-a-half-minute mid-tempo number similar to "Kingdom of Love." The tune moves along displaying a series of lyrics only a more mature Hitchcock could have written, falls into a solid mid-tune bridge, and then returns to form in time to exit. "Strings" pops up near the album's end and sounds just like the old Soft Boys. Frighteningly so, actually. The angular guitar and rolling bass are rather disconcerting and fully strange, just like the band used to be from time to time. As such, this has to be considered the best song on the album and hands-down winner of the "Modern Song most like Vintage Soft Boys" award. The last song to enter this category is "My Mind is Connected..." and it just did squeak in for consideration. It's a slow little number that borders on some of Hitchcock's solo work with the Egyptians while being reminiscent of the old days. Not bad.
The next tier of tracks consists of the songs that are good but would fit in on the last two Robyn Hitchcock albums rather than one claiming to be by the Soft Boys. "Unprotected Love" is probably the biggest culprit for this classification. From the simple sound to the use of more traditional lyrical oddities, this one would have been a nice inclusion as one of the better songs on either Jewels for Sophia or Moss Elixer. It is good, but not exactly deserving the Soft Boys label. Similarly, "Sudden Town," from the opening Hitchcock-characteristic "yeah!" to the song style is another one that seems misplaced. "Mr. Kennedy" is a sort of a road-story, chronicling some of Hitchcock's adventures from his tour with Sebadoh and the Flaming Lips a few summers ago. Purely from a topical point of view, this song should have been relegated to one of Robyn's solo ventures. It is one of the longer songs on the album and while it fits in on this mish-mash of a record, it would be better off elsewhere.
The last songs don't really fit into either of the 2 categories above. They're just not that great by any standard used. "Japanese Captain" isn't as bad as the next two songs, but it is pretty unremarkable. The next to last song on the album, "La Cherite," is really pretty shabby. It runs too long at around five minutes and never really goes anywhere. "Lions and Tigers" closes the record off and is at least mercifully quick. It's somewhat herky-jerky, and downright silly. While these songs are not that great, they don't poison the record as a whole. These are fortunately placed in a row, as the last songs on the album, so it's pretty easy to skip them if needed.
All in all, Nextdoorland makes for a much better listen than your standard reunion fare even with its flaws. The band has poured a considerable bit of effort into crafting an album that would live up to the standards of their earlier work. For the most part, they've succeeded. There are many moments that sound like they could have been recorded 20 years ago. These songs are full of vitality and in no part compromise the band's reputation. The same can be said for the album as a whole. If you're new to the Soft Boys, Nextdoorland would not be the best place to start (buy the reissue of Underwater Moonlight first), but it's definitely worth your time after you familiarize yourself with some of their back catalog.
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