Search - Lotion :: Nobody's Cool

Someone gave me a copy of this years ago

J. Kunkel Beidermeyer | Silver Spring, MD USA | 02/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I still listen to it today, if that's any measure of it's worth. I'd categorize this as an unknown classic - it's a gem, and surprisingly few people have ever heard it, or even heard of it.



I'm surprised that Lotion aren't a bigger name, given the competence and talent put into this album. From the incendiary guitar sound of Sandra to the power pop rhythms in Blind for Now, this is an all around great album.



Maybe their appeal isn't as universal as the Beatles - but then rock music isn't supposed to be foot tapping ditties for blue haired grandmas. This is the real stuff - strong, bold, and literate - starting out with a Bang (Dear Sir) and never fizzling out. You could argue that this is Hard Pop - it's bright and remarkably cheerful without being sugarcoated, and they obviously know there way around their instruments. Listen to Rock Chick to see what I mean. And it's not all sweetness and light, track 7 (Sandra) is a love song through the eyes of stalker. It's remarkably engaging.



Elliot Smith fans take note - this may be just up your alley. Lotion really has something.



One of the things I noticed that this album has that others don't - every single song is good. These days it seems like you by an album for the hit song, and if there is anything else worthwhile, it's a fluke. No so here - every track is a winner, and in that Lotion stands alone.



Do yourself a favor - buy this album."

A classic

J. Kunkel Beidermeyer | 06/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Where, oh where is _Full Isaac_? Lotion's first LP is a fine piece of work as well: scrappy in a _Slanted and Enchanted_ sort of way, but uniquely Lotion. For some reason, it's not in the amazon.com database ... must be out of print. Go scrounge the cut-out bins, folks! Also, I would like to add that the song Dalmacia has an epic quality that very few rock bands are able to effectively convey."

Appealing tales of longing, lust, and loss, late 90s indie s

John L Murphy | Los Angeles | 11/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Even more than its predecessor, Full Isaac, this second album by the New Yorkers gave appealingly complex lyrical tales of longing with a mixture of gentle sonic assault and more mellow introspective arrangements. The notes by Thomas Pynchon are a bonus, but resulted apparently in a backlash against the band by rock snobs. I'm at a loss to explain the failure of this band or this album. It avoids being maudlin or clever or amusing, yet entertains all the way through with music and words that ring true for anyone whose infatuation remains only that.



The vocals can be strained, reflecting this almost-adolescent angst, yet this proto-emo album steps clear of pity or wallow. The more muscular production by Joe Chicarelli this time around helps the band gain a more credibly tough stance, without overpowering their layered sound or their attention to musical detail, best heard in the longer songs just before the album closes. These sweep you into the emotions sung about, and the form and the content blend perfectly as if these tales were told by a younger Humbert Humbert to a bit older, and urban, Lolita--who took out a restraining order on the guy, nevertheless. You listen and laugh because it convinces you."