Locksley : Don’t Make Me Wait
Locksley’s Don’t Make Me Wait is a British invasion by way of Brooklyn; or more accurately, a British invasion by way of Brooklyn by way of Madison, Wisconsin. If one of the band’s members could tie their family back to the forests of Sherwood, that would be one hell of a “by way of” chain. Taking their name from Robin Hood’s merry haunt, Locksley’s sound is reminiscent of The Hollies and early Beatles. There’s a lot of sing-along, hand clapping moments to be had on each of the songs; the type of music that can still be enjoyed even when drowned out by a sea of swooning, squealing, bawling girls. Wearing their influences on the sleeves of their well-pressed British military jackets, Locksley’s strong songwriting makes them a power pop outfit to keep an eye on.
The album opens with a trio of great pop tunes. The first is the title track, its bouncy drums and muted chords appearing on that one Cingular commercial. Playing out like a confession of innocent infatuation, the lyrics catch an idealistic view of true love. My favorite lines “It’s something so surreal / The stupid way you make me feel” sound like something written in note passed from sweaty palm to sweaty palm in Mrs. Lawrence’s high school class. “Don’t Make Me Wait” is followed by one of my favorite songs from last year, “Let Me Know.” It’s a song that woos a would-be girlfriend over bright “la la las” insisting that falling in love would be a good time. Closing out the strong opening trio is “All Over Again,” a comeback song over handclaps, hooks and crunchy guitars.
There are other instantly catchy pop songs throughout Don’t Make Me Wait, though it was hard for me to stop listening to the first three songs on repeat. The more staid, somber numbers, “All of the Time” and “My Kind of Lover,” are reminiscent of mop top mopers like “Ticket to Ride” and “No Reply.” The much happier “Into the Sun” starts out sounding upbeat but jilted, the mood picking up thanks to the warm backing vocals and guitar lick through the chorus. The envious “Why Not Me” is also a fun song to latch on to. Admittedly, the sentiments of that song’s narrator have been my own for the last, oh, 12 or so years. The pomp of “For You (Part II)” is fine way to close out the album, a song with some stuttered vocals that somehow makes the word “s-s-s-s-sound” sound awesome rather than silly. Then again, maybe it is silly, but it just doesn’t matter.
With only three songs clocking in at more than three minutes–and even then only just–Don’t Make Me Wait is an unabashedly fun power pop record. It’s the type of album you can fall in love to or fall out of love to while falling in love with. That’s some good, immediate songwriting; and like old British military jackets, it’s good to know that some things will never go out of style.
Similar Albums:
The Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night
The Small Faces – From the Beginning
The Hollies – In the Hollies Style
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