Albert Hammond Jr - Como te Llama?

Rating:

* * *

The release of Albert Hammond Jr's second solo album brings good and bad news for Strokes fans. The  fact Hammond has had time to record two albums since the band's last effort suggests they aren't exactly up to much. But with Hammond's music sounding so similar to the rockers, at least

Como te Llama?

will help satiate hunger for that lo-fi garage rock sound. Indeed, the first three offerings on his new album suggest he's  gone out of his way to channel bandmate Julian Casablanca's distinctive sound. It's not until

GFC

that Hammond settles into his own subtle, vocals.

That aside, the first half of this album could well be a collection of Strokes B-sides. Not their best work, but in keeping with the band's signature sound. Until you stumble across the stripped-back beat of

Victory at Monterey

_ the first original-sounding track. From there, things take a marked turn for the better.

Seven-minute instrumental

Spooky Couch

is a softly enchanting track that reveals Hammond is more musically diverse than his previous efforts have suggested. With the rollicking piano of

G Up

and the subtle reggae jam of

Miss Myrtle

, he appears to have experienced a burst of experimental inspiration, resulting in the album's best offerings.

Joanna Hunkin