Editions Paf
2003
Luxor
About This Album
Some of Robyn Hitchcock's best work in his career has been on his solo acoustic albums. It therefore comes as no surprise that Luxor is on par with both Eye and the classic I Often Dream of Trains, although it is a bit darker in tone than either of those discs. This collection offers more examples of Hitchcock's winning mix of silly and sublime lyrics backed with exotically tuned acoustic guitars. Numbers such as "The Sound of Sound," "Round Song," and "One L" are familiar and fresh all at once, as Hitchcock subtly rewrites variations of his own catalog. There is not only a strong sense of his own musical past evident, but also the past of pop music in general; sort of like a musical tea party with the ghosts of Syd Barrett, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan as the special guests. Once again, Hitchcock's amazing virtuosity on the guitar is highlighted with two instrumentals, including the title track, which is reminiscent of "The End," "Calvary Cross," and "White Summer." Hitchcock's tunefulness and playing have never really been in question, but the one nagging perplexity of his work that has perhaps kept him from greater fame has been his reputation for self-consciously bizarre lyrics.
Track List (try tracks 1,3,5 and 6)

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