Although he has a weakness for the fairer sex like 007, Gedge cannot seem to get the hang of love 'em and leave 'em action. How would you like to be the girl on the receiving end of this morning-after patter: "You've avoided questions that could have easily spoiled the mood/Like where does my girlfriend work and what's her favorite food"?
Like Ray Davies, Gedge is most engaging when he reports on the ordinary lives of the lovelorn. On "Après Ski" (named after a type of pullover sweater), we follow the embarrassment and disappointment of an older woman having a one-night fling with a co-worker many years her junior. Gedge is also one of the few writers of late who dares to convey the wonderment of infatuation. On "Your Charms," the album's could-be-American-chart hit if this were 1985, he yelps this most singable chorus: "I just can't think clearly, I'm in your arms and my heart is pounding/How pathetic is this sounding?" Even with Gedge's singing partner Sally Murrell adding a twee Happy Mondays feel to the proceedings, Steve Albini's production allows the guitars to cut through the barrage of French horns and woodwinds and keeps things from getting too precious. Possibly the most British-sounding Brit-pop you're likely to hear this year unless Madness reunites or Morrissey gets off his lazy arsenal.