LLOYD COLE
ON PAIN
EARMUSIC
★★★★★
Lloyd Cole’s previous album Guesswork in 2019 saw him venture back into synth-pop, 26 years after Bad Vibes was such a disastrous experiment. Guesswork was terrific fun, with a clutch of unexpected bangers.
This time out, Cole is getting serious. Not in a pretentious manner, it’s simply time to gel the marriage of his songwriting with the modern classical music he’s been composing for around 15 years. What results is beautiful and special, the kind of minimalist adventure we hoped Mark Hollis would return with one day, only with added tales of bloodthirsty wolves and drug-addled rockers.