Right, time for another trip to bedsit land. Australian bedsit land at that, for that is surely where Anthony Rochester’s new album “Hot Hits 96” hails from. You can just tell such things even without looking at a press release, especially when you don’t have one.
You may remember Mr Rochester from his previous album “Music For In The Spaceship” or indeed you may not. However, this time he has created a rather fine piece of urban ennui. So much so that you could imagine La Morrissey getting down and grooving to it whilst nodding in agreement to lyrics like “I clicked add to friends and then I waited and I waited and waited, and I waited some more” (from “Friend Request Manager”) with much to admire in the simultaneous near disinterest and misfit melodrama expressed in his words. Nonetheless, this album is distinctly understated in its approach – although “A Dog Staring At An Aeroplane” was almost danceable if your socks didn’t match – and yet leaves you with the feeling that being stylistically lounge throughout was a thoroughly deliberate move to misdirect the casual listener into seeing this as a louch free homage to Serge Gainsbourg. Ennui is the true name of the game.
If only all easy listening records were as easy to listen to as this album. Anthony Rochester does well here but, then again, he is clearly a very smart chap. Not sure if he ever smiles though.