More nice surprises - Drawer B reviews Cinerama's third album, Torino, which the reviewer suggests may win back some of the Wedding Present fans who aren't sure about this new-fangled other band that Dave Gedge abandoned them for. I must admit I haven't been completely taken with either of the first two albums (I didn't pick up that other compilation), though I probably liked Va Va Voom more than Disco Volante, despite having spent about half as much for it. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that I'll be picking this new one up, 'cause that's the kind of hopeless fanboy I am. I'm not sure about this :

Cinerama has aged like a fine cheese.

But on the other hand, this really hits the spot :

An obsession with infidelity, fantasy relationships, tawdry sex, and jealousy could grow tiresome in the hands of a less skilled lyricist, but Gedge deftly manages to sculpt each song into a wholly original vignette, replete with cunning word play, clever lyrical structure, and wry cynicism.

Absolutely. He's a master, not only in the writing, but in the delivery. Consider an old Wedding Present tune (sorry) called Unfaithful, where he snarls "and I haven't seen a shirt like that since, oh, 1974" which probably wouldn't have stuck in my head if it weren't for the way he sang it - he suspects her ("and what's your game ? arm in arm by the garage wall"), he's disappointed and bitter, and he can't help taking a cheap shot at the Other Guy. Then the jangly guitar attack kicks in...

("take it away, Grapper !" ;)