Neil Leyton

Classic albums don’t always sound classic at the first listen. Neil Leyton’s third album may not sound timeless when you first hear it, but believe me when I say it is. Good music doesn’t unveil its greatness in one listen. Confident and focused, Leyton relies on his sharp knack for writing profound political protest songs with his back up band (which he ironically dubbed "The Ghosts”) that stun the ears off contemporary rock regulars. Recorded in Stockholm, The Betrayal of the Self features the quirks of Brit rock fit snugly beside the North American acoustic rock basics employed by legends like Neil Young or Paul Westerberg, with a little more forward thinking. "The System is the System is the Problem” is catchy rock with some slight punk chants. Incendiary guitar soloing embraces the bridge. With a soft side for hard-hitting melodies, "Slowdance 1974” shows Leyton pulling out an almost Julian Casablancas croon and slowing down the tempo for a live-for-the-moment ballad. Appearances from the Hellacopters’ Nicke Andersson and several members of Sweden’s Diamond Dogs only hint at the fact that Leyton has out done one himself.