By Dan Bennis

Richard Lloyd has come a long way since Marquee Moon, and while his solo work is constantly compared to the work he did with Television, it is now more than ever truly his own. From art-punk legend, to solo artist, turned hired gun for Matthew Sweet, then back to solo artist, Lloyd has reinvented himself as a musician many times over. In addition to the comparisons to Television, Richard Lloyd has to endure comparisons to his former band-mate Tom Verlaine, who has also moved on to guitar-heavy solo work. Despite all of these comparisons, Richard Lloyd has managed over the years to create a unique body of work. Much like Tom Verlaine, his guitar work has improved, and unlike Tom Verlaine, so has his voice. In fact, for a man who has had recent health problems, this may be his best album yet.

Like many of his previous albums, The Radiant Monkey features straight-ahead lyrics and no-nonsense guitar playing. Unlike Alchemy and Field of Fire, The Radiant Monkey has a fresh sound while still retaining its classic rock mentality. [Ed. It also has one of the worst covers known to man. Apologies to all of our readers' eyes.] Lloyd’s vocals and guitar playing are slightly distorted and raw, which can be attributed to the live nature of the recording. Songs like “Glurp” and “There She Goes Again” showcase Lloyd’s adherence to songs with simple, but catchy hooks. Whereas “Amnesia” sounds almost like a Television B-side or out-take, with a lead guitar melody following a similar pattern to the Television song “Friction”. Outside of this one similarity, the likelihood of anyone mistaking these songs for Television songs are pretty slim. Lyrically, Lloyd is at his most playful on this record, with songs like “Monkey” and “Wicked Son” sustaining lyrics that seem like afterthoughts to guitar oriented jams.

Overall, The Radiant Monkey sounds like a garage band plowing through a set of recently written originals, all a little unpolished. The result is actually refreshing. In a time when studio releases from Lloyd’s contemporaries sound over-produced, and contrived, it’s nice to hear some good old fashioned rock n’ roll.

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1. Watch: Stranger than science: Monkey is the new Gorilla.
2. Sonic Youth, The Eternal, Matador Records
3. Night Horse, The Dark Won’t Hide You, Tee Pee Records
4. Wilderness, (k)no(w)here, Jagjaguwar
5. Vast Aire, Dueces Wild, One Records

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