Cole and his first band, the Commotions, made three albums in the eighties, of which the third, Mainstream (1987), should have put them over the top.  All three albums are filled with melodic, hook-filled guitar pop, but with Mainstream Cole hit his stride as a songwriter and the band played with confidence and maturity.  Producer Ian Stanley knew exactly how to present the band.  The recording had a rich, spacious sound that was filled with subtle layers of multi-tracked guitar, keyboard and percussion.  It’s the kind of record you can return to and still catch things you hadn’t heard before.

It’s also the album where Cole took his place among the best pop songwriters.  Mainstream showcased his talent for writing great melodies and marrying them convincingly to lyrics that are sometimes puzzling, sometimes brutal:

Cole often looks sullen in the photos on his album covers and his songs have an air of wounded romanticism about them--a feeling that is often conveyed as much through the quality of his singing as through his lyrics.  It’s risky to compare song lyrics to poetry, but Cole’s lyrics scan well on the page and they sometimes have the indirect quality of poetry.  Songs whose meaning seems obscure at first listen (or reading) become clearer upon closer consideration.  But Cole can also be direct, as on “Hey Rusty,” also from Mainstream:

After Mainstream, Cole left the Commotions, moved to New York from Scotland, and released four solo albums, good records that didn’t make him a star.  The first, titled simply Lloyd Cole, is nearly as good as Mainstream and the third one Bad Vibes, isn’t far behind.  While Cole's albums have done well enough in the UK, he has a much smaller, if fiercely loyal, following here.

Cole likes a bright, shimmering sound.  He often uses guitar arpeggios in contrast to strummed chords and open chords as opposed to barred.  The guitars are often chorused, an electronic effect that gives the tone a bright, slightly shifting tone.  “Past Imperfect” opens The Negatives with the sound of a chorused guitar playing arpeggios in the right channel while another guitar plays a simple two note line in the left. The bass guitarist alternates from a C to an F and you can distinctly hear his finger sliding against the winding of the string (it sounds like it might have been punched-up in the mix).  Guitarist Jill Sobule, who has made a number of great pop albums of her own, plays a distorted low register intro that ends with the closing note sustaining into feedback.  Cole begins singing as the drummer joins in with the rest of the band:  

As the song builds, small additions are made to the arrangement--a guitar strums chords during the first chorus, then is joined by a beautiful guitar trill in the second chorus, followed in the third by another guitar playing a melody line, leading into a great solo by Sobule.  The song’s tale of forgotten relationships, lost friendships, and dulled impressions is brought into focus in the final singing of the chorus:

Cole’s world-weariness is tempered by a streak of romanticism--he’s no cynic. He may have been (in his songs) spurned or disappointed, but he never loses hope.  He even pokes fun at his slightly dark persona:

Guitar lines both intricate and simple keep coming through with each listen to The Negatives, but the recording doesn't feel crowded.  Rather, it seems like beautiful melodies are planted there to surprise you and keep you coming back.  The solos are handled by Jill Sobule, Michael Kotch, Robert Quine (one of several guests on the disc), and Cole.  Each brings something unique and surprising to the moment. Sobule's solos have a stinging tone that's softened by her obvious pop sensibility, while Quine's solo on "Man On the Verge" has a slightly aggressive quality that brings an element of tension into the song.  Sobule's work moved me to pick up her first album, Jill Sobule, and discover a great guitar player and a talented, varied songwriter.

While this is a great guitar disc, it’s doesn’t have any empty guitar flash.  The solos are short but they have tremendous impact because they're well thought out within each arrangement.  The playing from the other instrumentalists is impressive throughout, including the contributions from bassist David Derby and drummer Rafa Maciejak.  For all it’s sonic detail the disc has the relaxed feel that results when musicians know what they’re doing and enjoy doing it.

Six years is a long time to wait for a Lloyd Cole disc.  There may have been some business considerations that led to the delay of The Negatives, such as finding a US distributor or paying for  recording sessions.  Whatever the reason, it was worth the wait.  This is a challenging and moving record, maybe Cole’s best disc since Mainstream.

-- Joseph Taylor