The Lovely Intangibles – Tomorrow Is Never
I’m disturbed by a thought, the possibility that Stephen Masucci and Michael Williams named their latest project after a reviewer’s remark. I’m even more disturbed by the idea that the writer might have been me. I have followed the career of (let’s say ‘parent’ act) The Lost Patrol since almost the beginning. I’ve reviewed numerous albums, witnessed line-up changes, and various breakthroughs). Would I have called them ‘intangible’? I doubt it, lovely, certainly but intangible? I suppose all music is intangible to an extent. That’s a philosophical debate for another moment. One thing I will not do is go back and check. Read my old reviews back? No way. No Sir. Not doing that. I will be reminded of all the things I said before and will want to say again about this release. Tomorrow Is Never, is a Lost Patrol Album is all but name. The genetics may be diluted somewhat by Mollie Israel’s hiatus, the boys simply found yet another siren singer to carry the torch (no pun intended).
Out of fairness then, certainly to the newer personnel Mary Ognibene and Tony Mann – Tomorrow Is Never deserves to be reviewed in its own right. From the opening bars of ‘No Amends’ we can relax. That Lost Patrol surf twang remains present and correct. It’s a different planet but it’s the same universe. The noir cityscape which greets us on the cover art (and throughout the rather lovely, built-in digipak inner sleeve) is a hint of what’s to come. “It’s glamorous” purrs Mary O on ‘The Dust Settles Down’ and she isn’t wrong. However theirs is a Lynchian glamour, a dream in celluloid with an edge beneath all the prettiness. This is reinforced by cowboy waltz, ‘Tell Me When’ which, like Lynch, takes us behind the curtain and shows us the madness behind the method.
Is it a cop out to like the title track best of all? Arrest me then. I don’t think so. Surely they themselves favour it too? There’s a glistening, pre-Raphaelite quality to ‘Tomorrow Is Never’, a sorrowful lament to lost love that sounds and feels a bit ‘High School’ at first glance but bites much harder. Adult loss with lipgloss. It may sound fluffy folks, but dig a bit and you’ll find it’s a choker.
The Lovely Intangibles really have the holy trinity for bands – 1) great musicians, 2) a unique sound of their own and 3) a top notch singer. There are great musicians in every town. It’s that latter two that stand you out from the crowd. This is another winner from the Lost Patrol stable. Another night drive on the lost highway only this time they turned on the shiny street lights.