Lloyd Cole

After Lloyd Cole’s twentysomething years of making music, first with his band the Commotions and then solo, his career had become somewhat rote — an album every couple of years, but nothing that seemed especially inspired. His latest disc changes that perception; it’s a stirring set of songs. The title track establishes the scenario: a narcotic confession that touts the advantages of chemical supplements as a cure for dysfunction. Leadoff track “The Young Idealists” is equally inspired and just as descriptive in its reflective tale of optimism subverted by the realities of career and commitment (“We were raging through coffee shops and bars/Making believe the world was ours/Still supposing we could make a difference….”). Yet, despite the guarded sentiments, the music is surprisingly seductive, from the lovely strings and acoustic fretwork that underscore Cole’s paean to Manhattan, “NYC Sunshine,” to the lovely, shimmering piano lines that caress “Slip Away.” He even evokes the wandering spirit of Johnny Cash on the sprightly “Traveling Light,” providing further assurance that Antidepressant has all the lift it needs. — Lee Zimmerman