“Getting Special” by The Lodger
Leeds-based The Lodger released their debut full-length, Grown-Ups, earlier this year. Said album has gone on to garner quite a bit of praise, drawing comparisons to acts ranging from The Buzzcocks to The Smiths to The Wedding Present.
I don’t know about all that, but I do know this: Ben Siddall has an ear for crafting sterling pop songs capable of lodging their hooks so deeply in your brain, you’re whistling and humming the melodies for days on end. The best example of this is “Getting Special,” one of the first tracks that Siddall wrote and recorded (which just goes to show that the man had it down from the get-go).
The song kicks it off with angular guitars and stomping rhythms, and Siddall’s nasally voice singing about alienation and conformity. However, don’t be misled into thinking that this is the effort of yet another dancey post-punk group à la Franz Ferdinand. Once the chorus hits, it blossoms into something else — airy synths and electronic filigrees drift in, blending perfectly with the aforementioned elements, tempering the song’s edges but leaving it no less catchy.
Unfortunately, I can’t find an MP3 of “Getting Special” so you’ll have to settle for listening to it on the band’s MySpace page. However, you can download several other songs off of Grown-Ups from Slumberland Records’ website:
The Lodger are currently planning a series of Stateside shows in late October/early November. If you make it to one of the shows, here’s a possible preview of what’s in store for you.