Since alt-rock heroes Reuben split in 2008, guitar-toting frontman Jamie Lenman has been somewhat quiet on the musical front, but his debut solo release heralds a return that´s cacophonous and sedate in equal measure.
To call Muscle Memory diverse is an understatement: the opening half is all skull-crushing riffs and post- hardcore fury, while the second is composed of ukulele ballads and big-band numbers. It sounds like an incongruous endeavour, but tying it all together is Lenman´s superb sense of riffery and chord progression, which makes both sides equally essential.
4 out of 5
“It didn’t even represent what we were doing. Even the guitar solo has no business being in that song”: Gwen Stefani on the No Doubt song that “changed everything” after it became their biggest hit
"There was water dripping onto the gear and we got interrupted by a cave diver": How Mandy, Indiana recorded their debut album in caves, crypts and shopping malls
“It didn’t even represent what we were doing. Even the guitar solo has no business being in that song”: Gwen Stefani on the No Doubt song that “changed everything” after it became their biggest hit
"There was water dripping onto the gear and we got interrupted by a cave diver": How Mandy, Indiana recorded their debut album in caves, crypts and shopping malls
