The Lost Patrol is (International) Noise Conspiracy front man Dennis Lyxsen's side project, and this, The Lost Patrol Band is their third record in that particular incarnation. Previous works from The Lost Patrol were political (Songs In The Key of Resistance) or art rock influenced (Songs About Running Away) and came with mixed reviews. Also the former front man of Swedish hardcore band Refused, this album apparently signals Lyxsen's sincere offer of a hand clapping, head bobbing 30-minute rock record, filled with songs that peel away without question. It is a fun, no-strings attached piece of melodic pop punk confection. Imagine what the Monkeys would have sounded like if they were discovered in a Stockholm nightclub; the Monkeys, circa 2002 of course, with a strong influence from the Strokes and Green Day.
The ten hook filled songs are all short "I want a girl" styled numbers, that come and go without a whisper of consequence. They aren't thought provoking, but aren't really meant to be. There is no loss of energy on The Lost Patrol Band at any juncture "My Heart Is Still A Mess" is as heartbreaking toward the record's end as "Get Ready" is rousing in the beginning. Lyxsen doesn't allow this project to divert too far from its source material. All of the songs are standard rock constructions, with nary an unconventional instrument or distractions. For all of the thuggish presentation his other band gives off, and mixed attempts at genre on previous The Lost Patrol efforts, this record sounds and feels like a well hatched design.
While this isn't IQ rock, it certainly is a summer antidote to the summer's anxiety about the coming school year. |