Albert Hammond Jr. – Momentary Masters
The Strokes' guitarist guy finally follows up 2008's ¿Como Te Llama?
AFTER 18 MONTHS of rehab/writer’s block, Albert Hammond Jr.’s creativity rebooted with One Way Trigger, penned for The Strokes’ 2013 LP, Comedown Machine. Now here’s his third solo album, its title cribbed from Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot and riffing on the truism “that every triumph is fleeting”.
Spry and spontaneous sounding, the record was hatched at Hammond’s One Way Studios around leisurely dinners and frisbee games, but its chipper lattices of Afro-pop, funked-up Strokes-speak and power pop are spiked with lyrical melancholy, partly because the record’s mysterious dedicatee, Sara, a cherished touchstone who introduced Hammond to the poetry of Anne Sexton, has since passed away.
That Hammond’s voice has improved since his last solo outing is clear, and indelible melodies elevate Losing Touch and Born Slippy. Naturally, there’s a wealth of pithy guitar-work, too.
Watch the video for Losing Touch, taken from Momentary Masters.