Caught in the Carousel

The Lodger

Grown-Ups
Slumberland Records

When The Lodger’s Ben Siddall sings, “Give me your future/It looks really bleak,” two questions come to mind: How does he know and what does he want with it anyway? Hard to say what the boy is up to, but one thing’s for certain—he knows his way around a pop song. Armed with whip smart sarcasm and a biting wit, Siddall sounds like the kid brother of Morrissey or the Wedding Present’s David Gedge, navigating his way through romantic frustrations with cheeky belligerence. That being said, The Lodger’s Grown-Ups is a speedy, punchy and altogether glorious debut. It’s hard to think of a band in recent memory who come with such instant pop velocity as this trio from Leeds. “Many Thanks For Your Honest Opinion” is a snappy winner; the lyrically caustic “Kicking Sand” brings to mind The Wedding Present (“You say we’re in the same boat/ But I’m not in yours!”) and the jangling “Getting Special” which examines the lives of the “obvious people” is good devilish fun. Although Siddall is capable of searing cynicism (“I hear that you are keeping well/Since your life became a living hell”), he doesn’t come without a heart. “Let Her Go” finds him imploring “Let her go/You cannot save her/I only wish that we could get along,” while over the hustle and bounce of “The Story’s Over” he confesses, “I’ve got a lump in my throat/Where I’ve swallowed my all my pride.” But it’s on the album closer (“Let’s Make A Pact”) where Siddall lets his guard down and admits “So I’ve been wrong a 2nd time/A 3rd, a 4th/Is this a sign?” Perhaps, perhaps, but if out of such egregious mistakes this is the kind of pop music that flowers, let’s hope that he keeps screwing up.

—Alex Green