The Lodger Life Is Sweet

Life Is Sweet, the second album from Leeds band the Lodger, is an album that conjures up memories of ’80s indie pop, but in the best possible way. It’s like listening to bands who showed up on compilation cassettes that came with fanzines and then were never to be heard from again because things were shifting so quickly. But unlike back then, it really does feel like that the Lodger have some staying power and it sounds like they are beginning to hit their stride. The band’s songwriter Ben Siddall has impeccable taste when it comes to influences, giving the entire album a very characteristic sound that stops short from being a straightforward C86 copy. Yet he does owe Orange Juice a debt of gratitude for "The Good Old Days” and "A Year Since Last Summer” is the best Housemartins song they never wrote. With its mix of jangley guitars and upbeat tunes, Life Is Sweet is a welcome reminder of that classic period for indie pop but with enough of a fresh twist to make it more than just a nostalgic wallow. (Slumberland)

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