Nick Lowe - "Indoor Safari"

Charles on the great new album from one of our favorites

Somewhere in the early 2000s, Nick Lowe started repeatedly suggesting that he had left his days as a rocker behind. And indeed, though he still made room for a few relaxed rave-ups in his repertoire (especially in live performance), the celebrated singer-songwriter seemed to find far greater fulfillment with expert mid-tempo riffs on the country, R&B, jazz, and pop of the mid-twentieth century. His records were precise and pristine: the songs were often wonderful (and sometimes stunning), while the performances demonstrated the easy mastery of an old pro. His new album, Indoor Safari, follows that same model, with Lowe spinning across the stylistic dial with care and aplomb. But Indoor Safari is something else as well. I don’t know if it’s the best Nick Lowe album of the twenty-first century – I can’t see it unseating 2001’s The Convincer from my top spot. But this excellent record is absolutely his most fun.

Indoor Safari isn’t exactly “new,” in the sense that most of its tracks have previously been released on singles and EPs. But this scrapbook approach emphasizes just how fruitful Lowe’s previous decade has been, especially as he’s made Los Straitjackets his regular band both in studio and onstage. Led by Eddie Angel, whose big, blazing guitar is a highlight of nearly every track, the quartet famed for their luchador masks and post-surf instrumentals is a perfect fit for their front man – tight, flexible, with a dash of humor and an impish streak that seems to have coaxed Lowe out of his well-appointed shell. He’s back in sonically sprightly territory that he hasn’t visited much in a while, and the strength of the material he’s brought with him suggest that he’s invigorated by the invitation. Powered by Los Straitjackets, as the album cover accurately puts it, Nick Lowe’s here for a good time.

(Photo: Simon Jay Price)

This festive vibe is clear from the first track, “Went To A Party.” Written by Lowe and all four Straitjackets, the song presents a witty description of a shindig that – with jazz flute, Campari, and raucous atmosphere that gives the album its title – manage to entice the initially skeptical narrator into “circulating around pretty smartly” and dancing until early morning. (There’s even a great gag at the end about Nick being mistaken for Robyn Hitchcock.) But the real party is in the sound: The track drives forward with punching chords that build to a hip-shaking fever pitch by the final chorus. Lowe’s knowing vocal (often with the Straitjackets shouting along beside him) offers a perfect vehicle for both raised eyebrow and raised spirits: “You could say it was high tone, but I was representing the low zone,” he puns at one point, adding an additional spoken “yes, I was” just in case we missed the point.

Both “high tone” and “low zone” (or maybe “Lowe zone”) are audible in Nick’s vocals throughout Indoor Safari. His voice’s deepening sweetness has been a crucial feature of his latter-day recordings, and its richness and versatility are on full display here. He’s bright and boisterous on “Jet Pac Boomerang” and “Trombone,” where he climbs to the top of his range – even into falsetto! – as he traverses the escalating melodies. The high end returns on “Different Kind of Blue,” the lovely example of the mid-tempo R&B that he’s made his trademark. The similarly titled “Blue on Blue” brings him up close to the ear for the album’s one spare ballad; for a while, his acoustic guitar is his only accompaniment, until he swells into a double-tracked bridge. His voice even becomes a member of the band: He adds some punchy “bum bum bum”s to the instrumental section in the jangly “Lay It on Me Baby,” and doubles the electric solo on the percolating “Raincoat in the River,” a cover of a deep-cut gem from the early ‘60s, where Los Straitjackets bounce with Lowe along a playful Latin rhythm.

Indeed, as much as Indoor Safari is a showcase for Lowe, it equally shines the spotlight on the musicians who are now his longest-serving backup band. Lowe always works with great musicians, and Los Straitjackets contribute a presence and persistence that keeps each track light on its feet. Lowe’s full-bodied production assists greatly: The instruments push together out of the speakers with a fullness that recalls Lowe’s earlier, pop-minded productions as much as they do the rootsy spaciousness of his later work. The band pumps through “Tokyo Bay,” one of Lowe’s better rockabilly homages which he delivers in a swaggering baritone. (Although I wish he didn’t return to the cliché Japanese imagery that’s popped up occasionally throughout his career.) The group luxuriates in the slow songs, especially “Blue on Blue,” and they find several meaningful variations on the go-go ‘60s, from the pensive “Love Starvation” to the closing “Don’t Be Nice to Me.” Eddie Angel gets a literal shout-out at the beginning of Garnet Mimms cover “Quiet Place,” and he and fellow guitar slinger Greg Townson contribute everything from blazing power chords to the plucked melody that bubbles under “Different Kind of Blue.” The rhythms from bassist Pete Curry and drummer Chris Sprague are both rock-solid and rubbery, giving Lowe the most consistent swing he’s had in…well, maybe ever? The most effective performance, and the album’s best track, is the popping “Crying Inside,” where stabs of electric rhythm and snapping drums offer perfect support for Lowe as he struts through a tracks-of-my-tears lament. The lyric rains hard but the melody is pure sunshine, and Lowe wrings out every bit of both pathos and pleasure from this juxtaposition.

This commitment to pleasure extends throughout Indoor Safari, a delightful set that finds Nick Lowe in fine and invigorated form. Sacrificing none of his devotion to careful song-craft or his air of droll stylishness, he saunters through these songs with a twinkle in his eye that seems less like the charming joker of old and more like the elegant elder who still likes to let loose when given the chance. He just celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday, and I’m sure glad Lowe invited us to celebrate along with him. I hope he throws many more such parties in the future.

(Photo: Bobby Fisher)

Looking for more Nick Lowe? Be sure to check out Charles’ “Love Letter in 16 Songs,” where he picks 16 faves from Lowe’s catalog.

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