Lovelife

Melody Maker - Recommended - "...the best pop album of the year so far...here is a group who have finally accepted what they are good at (the manipulation of pop) and can not contain the euphoria of such a liberating discovery..." Entertainment Weekly - "Lush continue to carve out a personal path between girl-group cheekiness and tough-skinned attitude..." - Rating: B+ Option - "...a better-than-decent sampler of moody new wave that cops a lot of attitude when it delivers classic litanies of love, love and love..." NME - 7 (out of 10) - "...the kind of generic thrash with which Lush are well-acquainted, but which now sounds unfettered and heartfelt and like it actually means something to the protagonists..."

Lovelife represents a major shift in style for Lush. Nearly abandoning the trancy melodies and droning guitars that were its trademark, the band has crafted an album full of sharp hooks and melodies, one that owes a great deal to the Britpop mania of 1995. From the circular melody of the opening "Ladykillers," it's clear that Lush had been influenced by the direct, jagged pop of Elastica, but the band also has reached back into '60s pop. All of the ballads on Lovelife are rooted in the hazy dream pop of the early '90s, but they are given stylish, mod arrangements complete with muted brass. Even more startling is the Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood pastiche of "Ciao!," an irresistible duet between Miki Berenyi and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker. Lovelife simply would have been an embarrassing attempt to seem fashionable if the band hadn't succeeded in updating its sound. However, Lush has been able to recreate itself as a pop band and the result is its most direct -- and arguably most rewarding -- album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|