Albert Hammond Jr - ¿Cómo Te Llama?

You can't really begrudge Albert Hammond Jr his solo career. The Strokes aren't exactly prolific, Julian Casablancas does most of that band's songwriting, and with their Lower East Side hipster image to keep up, it's easy to imagine their private universe becoming an exceedingly cramped space for someone as individually creative as Hammond Jr. But as much as he'd like us to forget about his other band when in solo mode, it's sometimes difficult to get too excited about side-projects, no matter the sincerity invested in them. Yours To Keep was a perfectly good record, and so is ¿Cómo Te Llama? He employs a particularly lackadaisical, Casablancan singing style on Bargain Of A Century, although it begins to strain by new single GfC. Victory At Monterey and the instrumental Spooky Couch (featuring a piano cameo from Sean Lennon) take Hammond Jr as far as he's been, but so far that extent has never transcended the charm of a certain other band. [Nick Mitchell]