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For anyone who’s been paying attention, the Lost Patrol Band is not the same as Lost Patrol, well, except for the whole singer thing. When Dennis Lyxzén released the first two Lost Patrol albums, people were understandably surprised to see the Refused / (International) Noise Conspiracy singer rocking an acoustic guitar and singing straight from the heart about things not so political in nature. But it worked ever so well. Then on 2005’s release, The Lost Patrol Band, he brought along a team of musicians to fill out his sound. That effort stumbled a little bit, as did the next T(i)NC album, but with Automatic, Lyxzén has come around again and created an absolute gem.

The fifth album for the Lost Patrol band is pure guilt-free pop-rock that’s catchier than influenza and infinitely more enjoyable than the Norwalk virus, which I was putting up with this same time a year ago. While hints of the Clash might show up from time to time (such as the opening riffs of "Ain’t Got the Time"), and many of the songs carry the vibe of the Swedish punk scene circa 2001, much of the songs get by just representing good old rock'n’roll with a clear oldies touch.

Lyrically, Lyxzén doesn’t break from the Lost Patrol mold. If you’re looking for anything revolutionary here, don’t bother. It doesn’t matter though, because as fans of Lyxzén know, it’s not only his lyrical subject matter that’s so appealing, but the way he delivers it. Topics range from love to youthfully embracing the moment.

While Automatic is a fun half-hour romping rock experience, at many times the song feels only surface-deep. There’s not a whole lot going on underneath the fun. Of course, that isn’t needed for the first few listens and it’s quite possible to have a great time listening to Automatic again and again. But I felt as the album sat with me over time, even my favorite songs such as "Automatic Kids" and "I Don’t Understand" started to lose their appeal. "Safety Pin" is one song where the Lost Patrol Band demonstrate that they’re capable of playing with more depth, but moments like it don’t show up too often.

Complaints aside, Automatic easily pleases. The Lost Patrol Band are a really fun band and the songs are easy to like. How long it sticks around in the CD changer might be another matter, but don’t let that stop you from having a good time while it lasts -- you still chew bubble gum, don’t you?



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    Posted by DiscoFucker on 2006-10-19 14:33:56

    "One of the great things about early INC albums like "Survival Sickness" was that Dennis wrote political songs disguised as love songs, and you could read between the lines to discern their real meaning. Now it seems like Dennis has got one band for love songs and another for politcal tunes, and I'm hardly interested in either.

    --Cos"

    "You can call me romantic, you can call me what you will, but when I think about the revolution, you're still in my dreams."

    from Armed Love.

    Posted by i-type-poorly on 2006-10-19 11:57:13
    My Score:

    Just heard the album. This isn't even bubblegum. It's a chicklet. I was bored by the third or forth song. Scruffy's comment is really on the mark. New Morning... was the last impressive thing he's been associated with.

    Posted by GreenVandal on 2006-10-19 01:49:33
    My Score:

    Lost Patrol sucks ass.

    Posted by Scruffy on 2006-10-17 21:15:05

    "I haven't been able to find any of the first 3 Lost Patrol albums anywhere, before the power-pop. Any leads?"

    There are only 2 before the power pop, and they're not that good. I used to love Dennis's stuff, but everything post "New Morning Changing Weather" is barely likeable. The best Lost Patrol song was written by that Swedish pop singer that dueted(?) it with him.

    Posted by ben_conoley on 2006-10-17 11:27:02

    Smartpunk.com has Songs About Running Away - it's a good album.

    Posted by DiscoFucker on 2006-10-17 11:01:39

    I haven't been able to find any of the first 3 Lost Patrol albums anywhere, before the power-pop. Any leads?

    Posted by i-type-poorly on 2006-10-17 10:47:24

    I really enjoy Songs About Running Away, and can't find Songs In The Key of Resistance. Haven't even bothered with this full band crap.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 5:23 AM (EDT)

    didn't the new lilligtons come out yet?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 3:41 AM (EDT)

    I don't know what compels this swede to do this. This phase of his i'm passing until he switches gears again, though from what ive heard this is a bit better than the last LP, which is best I not even speak of.

    Songs in the key of resistance is pretty great, though.

    wyzo

    Posted by iconoclast on 2006-10-17 02:11:59

    songs in the key of resistence is soooo so so so so much better than anthing else lost patrol has put out.

    Posted by theonetruebill on 2006-10-17 02:05:50

    I literally just got the self titled album about two weeks ago and love it. I had no idea there was another one coming out, I need to get this.

    Posted by Cos on 2006-10-17 01:32:27

    One of the great things about early INC albums like "Survival Sickness" was that Dennis wrote political songs disguised as love songs, and you could read between the lines to discern their real meaning. Now it seems like Dennis has got one band for love songs and another for politcal tunes, and I'm hardly interested in either.

    --Cos

    Posted by Inspection12e on 2006-10-17 00:57:00

    Is this out in the US?

    Posted by ilikepunkrock on 2006-10-17 00:54:08

    This band sounds really good from their myspace songs, and in a picture one of the members is wearing an angry samoans shirt so you know they have good taste in music.

    Posted by Not-To-Regret on 2006-10-17 00:42:37
    My Score:

    I feel that T(I)NC, when at their best, are one of the best punk bands out there. The First Conspiracy is pure punk rock. But at the same time, I rarely listen to them. It's no so much that they have released great material, but the potential they have; you just feel it when listening to songs like "Airports" and "Smash it Up". I'm interested to here this, as I haven't heard any of the previous 3 records.

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