Here’s what the English speaking critics had to say.
You can listen to it here.
“a rocking, reinvigorated return – terrific” 8/10 UNCUT July 13
“…captivating!” 4* MOJO July 13
”effortless craftsmanship from a gifted storyteller.” Q July 13
”Standards is the work of a bristling, alive and fresh-as-a-daisy master, drawing on all of his experience for a mid-life career high.”4* Daily Mirror 21 June 13
”a sound replete with twisting, cyclical guitar lines and tints of keyboards
theres a confidence and flexibility to his disparate themes…
may be his best album.”
The Independent I 21 June 13
”…like when Dylan went electric
its not a fanciful comparison Coles lyrics are profoundly poetic and linked to some glorious tunes
.terrific.”4*
Alan Johnson MP, BIG ISSUE 17-23 June 13
”pop rock swagger
with a lyric as seductive as ever
4*
The Independent On Sunday 23 June 13
”a vibrant set full of wry wordplay.” 4* Mail On Sunday 23 June 13
”a fine advertisement for approaching the act of writing in a more contemplative way
.wonderfully wry
self-knowing lyrics
.a plangent beauty
”
Sunday Times 23 June 13
“ ruminative, erudite, rueful the rockiest thing he has done, but still very Lloyd Cole.” Mail On Sunday 9 June 13
”gloriously, pertinently verbose career-best” 4* Record Collector July 13
”a timeless classic.” 5* Classic Pop July/Aug 13
“Cole has written a batch of terrific songs and turns in some of his most passionate and committed performances. The tunes are literate, often wickedly funny but remain laced with Cole’s smooth hang-dog vocals. It’s unusual for someone most would consider a “cult” artist to do such superb work this far into his career but Standards shows that Cole’s muse has returned. Between the quality of the songwriting and the taut yet supple backing band it’s as good as, and at times better than, anything in his already striking 30 year catalog.” —AMERICAN SONGWRITER
“Standards finds Cole at a place of razor-sharp renewal. He uses the past unapologetically yet vitally, and delivers a record fans will find both irresistibly familiar and firmly of this moment in his career.” — ALL MUSIC
““These were,” he adds, “the best of times.” No denying that. And yet there’s still something to be made of today, and Lloyd Cole has belatedly done that. Finally, and likely with nowhere near enough fanfare, he has provided the follow up to Rattlesnakes that we’d always hoped was in there somewhere.” —SOMETHING ELSE
“An intelligent pop-rock album that ranks with some of Cole’s best work.” —BOSTON GLOBE
“Cole’s gifts have remained consistent for three decades, and if they no longer surprise, they always prove reliable.” —BLURT
“From his stunning debut with The Commotions on 1984’s Rattlesnakes, Lloyd Cole has continued to make intelligent pop music for the last three decades. With lyrics referencing literary and pop culture figures as well as chronicling the ebb and flow of personal relationships, Cole touches the mind as well as the heart. After a period as an acoustic troubadour, Cole has reunited with some early solo career colleagues to make Standards, a return to the jangly guitar milieu of Don’t Get Weird On Me Babe-era sounds.” —THE VINYL DISTRICT
” In my humble opinion this is by far Lloyd Cole’s finest solo album by a Country mile and in the future will no doubt be compared favourably with his earliest work with the Commotions.” —NO DEPRESSION
“You could call this a return to form, if the past decade’s acoustic work wasn’t such a pleasing form of its own; perhaps “welcome return” is more apt, given Cole’s previous forsaking of electric pop and rock.” —HYPERBOLIUM / NO DEPRESSION
“Lloyd Cole—the thinking woman’s Morrissey, if you will—hits the LES for an acoustic gig. The literate British crooner’s recent work has a wounded, morning-after tone that’s disarmingly affecting; Cole has certainly grown old gracefully.” —TIME OUT NEW YORK
‘Here’s hoping there are more albums like this in Cole’s future.” —PITTSBURGH IN TUNE
“Standards is one for the ages.” (9 stars) —POPMATTERS
Publication date: 30/04/15