Have you got Nextdoorland yet? What's it like?

I've heard that it's too much like solo Hitchcock, which sounds worrying. Can't be as good as Underwater Moonlight.

"Toomuch like solo Hitchcock" is not necessarily a BAD thing as far as I'm concerned!

i really REALLY like it - "strings" and "i love lucy" are wonderful. i'm comparing it to xtc's return to guitars with "wasp star" for the first time since "black sea" - "wasp star" was kind of empty and hollow and sounded a bit calculated at times, while "nextdoorland" seems much more organic and natural, like the band are picking up from where they left off. by solo robyn i guess it sounds like - especially stuff like "mr kennedy" - that robyn took a song which would fit on a robyn solo album and they "soft boys"-ised it. not necessarily in a bad way, just that the best songs excite just as much as you would have hoped them too...

also nice to have a lal hitchcock cover again

and "side three" the mini album companion is released soon...

I didn't like this at first, but it's growing on me -- the unenergetic production being the one thing that's keeping me from loving it. But the guitar work is great, particularly the "Marquee Moon"-ish solo on "Mr. Kennedy."

It's one of my five favorite records of 2002. It's completely essential, as far as I'm concerned.

I adore the Soft Boys and Robyn's earlier solo stuff, but NEXTDOORLAND bored me so badly the first time I played it that I haven't played it again since.

Play it again, Alex, and keep playing it until it clicks, because it will. It'll just take more than one listen, I found.