Albert Hammond Jr. - "Francis Trouble"

Albert Hammond Jr., you know this guy!  He's in The Strokes, and he's had a solo career for over a decade.....Ok so I didn't realize it was honestly THAT long.  Albert made his solo debut in 2006 with "Yours To Keep", a very sunny, sweet Indie Rock album.  If you ask me though, it's way too sweet.  There is little to no substance on this album.  Tracks like "101" and "Everyone Gets a Star" were alright, but the majority of this album is just so faceless.  And no, not even a Guided By Voices cover could save this one (even though it IS pretty damn good).  Surprisingly though, Albert made a whole lot more of an effort with his 2008 follow-up "¿Cómo Te Llama?".  This album ditched a lot of the singer/songwriter shtick that plagued his debut and delivered what we want to hear: a slick, cool, garage-tinged Rock album.  This album had loads more swagger and came off genuinely grungy in parts.  Tracks like "GFC" and "Victory At Monterey" were the epitome of exactly where I want to hear Albert.  But it was his bizarre experiments in the second half that lost me, like the 7-minute Latin-tinged "Spooky Couch" or his honest to God attempt at Reggae with "Borrowed Time".  However, I did really like what Albert was up to.   In 2015 Albert returned with another fresh new sound, sort of.  With his "Momentary Masters" album, he turned back the clock and went full Strokes on us, with mixed results.  This album at times sounded so outdated with tracks like "Coming to Getcha" and "Losing Touch".  But also, there were some seriously tasteful Garage tunes such as "Don't Think Twice" and "Caught By My Shadow".  It's an alright album, but still, I found myself very on the fence with Albert's solo career. Now, it's been a few years since Albert has released music.  But these new songs, for the most part, have really been some of his best yet.  I'm actually really curious to chat more about this album, let's dive in!

This album starts off with DvsL, and no joke I was actually really worried hearing those bird chirpings.  But hell, this pulls away really quickly into a very funky, punchy Garage tune with a sharp hook.  To be honest, I can't ever remember a time where I heard Albert this unhinged.  He sounds like an absolute madman in parts.  In a way, this almost has a Hives vibe to it.  Also, Albert hasn't had this much swagger in years.  He doesn't sound like anyone who's breaking off from a band.  Just the opposite, he sounds like he's ready to take over the Alternative Rock world himself.  Not to mention, the dance groove here is ridiculous.  This ladies and gentlemen is how you start an album.  Then we have "Far Away Truths", which is much more streamlined.  In a way, this does sort of come off like a Stroke tune.  But this one comes off so much better than it probably should be.  This one has this ever-present sense of cool and sounds brand new.  Albert is a little more on tracks with this one and doesn't sound nearly as wild.  But these hooks are more than enough to carry the slack, trust me because this is seriously catchy.  Ironically, Albert's work in the past has come off as some of the worst Strokes tunes I've ever heard.  But this comes off like what the Strokes SHOULD be doing these days.  "Far Away Truths" is a seriously gritty, yet accessible garage tune. On the other hand, I love the very twinkling, youthful sound to "Muted Beatings".  This album as a whole really doesn't sound like anything Albert has every touched, in the best way possible.  It certainly has it's pop-centered moments, but it always has plenty of explosive instrumentals.  The guitars are sharp, the drums are steady, and Albert continues to have this seriously cool aura about him that honestly makes me really miss how amazing The Strokes once were.  I have to give Albert credit, this is his most personality-driven and enjoyable material to date.  "Set to Attack" on the other hand, takes a much slower approach for the first time here.  But that very sleek sound that this album has continues to be a real home run.  Now, this one is a ballad, which was something I was really worried about hearing from Albert.  In the past, he's really dropped the ball on tunes like this.  But "Set to Attack" is really sweet and charming, and absolutely adorable.  There's still a very youthful sound to this, and almost a sense of innocence.  I just can't be mad listening to this one, it's just so sunny and catchy.  So far, I feel like Albert has everything under wraps.  The solo towards the end is really pleasant as well and makes the very patient verses pay off nicely. 

With "Tea for Two", we get another slow one from Albert, but this is the exact opposite.  This one is just so much more bitter and aggressive, and absolutely heartbroken.  But it's more than that because Albert just sounds so pissed off and emotional in his performance.  The chorus lightens things up a bit, but this track is just such a powerhouse.  There are blues elements, as well as the obvious Garage influences. But Albert remains the real star, sounding just so beaten down and hurt.  Plus, that very dreary, surreal Sax solo towards the end is brilliant.  Then we have "Stop and Go", which brings things back to a more upbeat tempo.  But Albert's very hushed, intense vocal performance is certainly an interesting turn of events.  It's bouncy, and certainly makes you groove, but it's obviously still on the more gloomy side of things.  Of the tracks so far, this is probably the most underwhelming, but even with that, Albert just sounds so ahead of what he's been doing for years.  "ScreaMER" on the other hand is much more interesting.  There's a very retro sound to this that makes this almost come off like some wild Psych Pop cover.  But it's not, this is all Albert's brainchild and it's exciting as hell.  That massive swagger and intense performance is right back at the forefront of this.  It's still got a seriously great hook, and while this is intense it's more fun than anything.  I feel like in a lot of ways, this is the sound that got me into bands like The Strokes and The Hives, to begin with.  The throttling instrumental is fantastic and seems like it can fly off the rails at any moment.  "ScreaMER" works in a BIG way.  "Rockys Late Night" is the slowest and most chilling track here yet.  There's actually a really strong atmosphere on this one for a Garage tune.  It's not too shabby but sounds a little too much like a Strokes tune for my liking.  I mean, I honestly can't be too mad at that, but I just feel like some of the more upbeat tunes here have been so much more consistent.  "Rockys Late Night" is still catchy, and I do really like the surreal vibe to this. 

Now, while "Strangers" isn't as upbeat as some of the early tunes, this one has just the sort of much more intense and focused performance that I needed to hear.  I actually really love some of Albert's lyrics here. this may be a very wild album but it's also a very human one.  And while yes, he sort of half-assed this chorus, I'd be lying if I didn't think it worked for him.  So yea, while "Strangers" is much more chugging and slow, it remains really sweet and colorful.  There's also seriously so many truly bizarre moments that Albert would have never touched before, like that voiceover that pops in randomly.  This album ends off on a surprisingly upbeat and wild finale with "Harder, Harder, Harder".  It's one that I didn't expect to hear, but this one is Albert at his quirkiest.  And while this track is a little underwritten, I have to say this is an absolute blast.  The instrumental is seriously colorful, and almost reminds me of early Arctic Monkeys the way it has those Garage elements alongside a strong dance groove. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Give A Listen To: “Far Away Truths”, “Set To Attack”, “Tea for Two”, “ScreaMER”

Genre: Garage Rock / Alternative Rock 

Overall Thoughts: This is easily, the most personality-driven and most charismatic album I’ve heard from Albert Hammond Jr.  I feel like my problem with him for years has been his lack of character, but he has some serious swagger on this album.  But outside of that, Albert has really nailed that age-old formula of fantastic Pop hooks and wild instrumentals.  My only real issue with this album is that I wish it was a little bit longer, it easily could have had an extra track or two.  But at the end of the day, this youthful, wild sound that Albert brings to the table here is why I started loving bands like The Strokes to begin with years ago.  This is a seriously well-written Garage rock album, with some very solid guitar playing as well.