★★★★½
Coming from the guitarist for legendary band The Strokes, you could safely assume that Albert Hammond Jr.’s latest album Momentary Masters was always going to be a solid album.
And when you first play it through, you may not even be surprised to find that it’s actually a hell of a good listen. In fact, you won’t be surprised by anything about this album, except how much you will enjoy it.
A beautiful set of electric pop-rock, the record captures a fantastic sense of dance and ’90s magic without the grandeur often falsely attributed by other artists. Hammond’s high and sweet vocals cry out to you in album opener ‘Born Slippy’. Throughout the album, his influences make themselves felt. A very Kaiser Chiefs-esque punchy pop sound is present on ‘Caught By My Shadow’, and there are phantoms of The Strokes playing right alongside Hammond, especially on ‘Razors Edge’.
Hammond’s guitar skills are on point with every track; tight, punchy and possessing the same groove and confidence of Hammond’s fashion choices, pulling off more than you thought possible. Momentary Masters is an album that is playfully unassuming, excellent in execution, and impossible not to enjoy. And that’s the only surprise you’d ever wish for.
Albert Hammond Jr.’s Momentary Masters is out through Vagrant/Liberator.
