- Artist
- Pop Levi
- Label
- Counter
- Release date
- 12th February 2007
- Genre
- Indie rock
One third of Ninja Tune's experimental trio Super Numeri, as well as part-time bassist for fellow Liverpudlians Ladytron, Pop Levi finally makes his full-length solo debut with an album so rich in influences that it often verges upon pastiche.
Kicking things off is the glammy, stomp-rocking Sugar Assault Me Now, which owes as much to Marc Bolan as, say, Mika does to Queen - although in this case Levi pulls off the homage without being nearly as irritating. The glam vibes continue with Pick-Me-Up Uppercut, a jerky, rhythmically infectious hand-clapper that's sure to find its way into indie-rock clubs across the country.
Elsewhere, there are nods to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd in the bluesy rock-out Mournin' Light and the bass-driven Blue Honey respectively, along with excursions into psychedelic free-love folk (Flirting) and avant-garde mellowness (See My Lord, the closest thing to Super Numeri on the album).
The flaunted derivation of the whole exercise may prove a turn-off for some listeners, but this is an album with such authentically retro production values that it feels more like an undiscovered Seventies glam-rock gem than a modern day release. It's also surprisingly consistent, with track after track boasting the same level of style and confidence, and Levi's voice, although a touch reedy, proving to be perfect for the job of holding the whole thing together.
He's already backed by BBC's The Culture Show as one to keep an eye on in 2007, so if you've a taste for unashamedly retro "cosmic" rock, then you'd do well to heed their advice.
