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

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There's a new album out by the reformed Soft Boys - but are they "New!" and "Improved!" - or are they just past their sell by date?

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 07:08 (twenty-three years ago)

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

Dr. C (Dr. C), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 07:19 (twenty-three years ago)

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

Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 08:23 (twenty-three years ago)

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...

commonswings, Wednesday, 25 September 2002 08:50 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...
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."

Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 28 November 2002 07:14 (twenty-three years ago)

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

polyphonic (polyphonic), Friday, 29 November 2002 06:21 (twenty-three years ago)

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.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 30 November 2002 05:19 (twenty-three years ago)

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

Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Saturday, 30 November 2002 17:11 (twenty-three years ago)


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