Lloyd Cole first made a name for himself in 1984 with the Commotions, the British band he founded in Scotland before relocating to New York City four years later. Since, he has released records both as a solo artist and with the Negatives. Now based in western Massachusetts, Cole recently formed the Small Ensemble. The trio is joined by the likes of Fred Maher, Joan Wasser and Kendall Meade for new album Broken Record (Tapete), Cole’s first “rock” LP in almost a decade. Cole will also be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new Q&A with him. Says Cole as an introduction/disclaimer for his guest-editing posts, “I am 50 years old. More than twice the age I was when I began making music. I have developed opinions, certainly, and these opinions have evolved, but I can only speak for myself. I am still astonished by music. I am still perplexed by it. I am still moved by it. I am still revulsed by it. And I am more and more confused by how others make use of music in their lives. Music seems to be everywhere. Here are some of my thoughts on it.”
Cole: Growing up with David Bowie as role model, I thought that it was our job (I was, briefly, some sort of rock star) to reinvent ourselves every couple of years and, at the very least, never repeat the previous album’s recipe. In my 20s, I had a distinct disdain for the one trick ponies. I mean, how many Van Morrison albums do you need? Well, I was wrong about a lot of things in my 20s. These days, I’m inclined to believe that being wrong is what one’s 20s are for, which isn’t to say that we were never charming or entertaining in our fantastic certainty about everything.
What are one trick ponies, anyway? They’re artists with voices that are their own, who believe sufficiently in what they do to hone it over a career. I like that idea. Bryan Ferry once said that he has two songs: fast and slow. I have 4/4 and waltz; all mine are mid-tempo. So here’s to the one trick ponies. And who are the ultimate OTPs? I nominate Tindersticks. Every Stuart Staples vocal delivery is dripping in his melancholic vibrato, every arrangement is cinematic, and they can only be pictured in a smoky basement club. Maybe after their first release we might have suggested that they owed a little to Scott Walker, but after (how many have they made?), I think they have now carved a niche called Tindersticks.
Video after the jump.
