Gee muses

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Albert Hammond Jr is a strangely elusive man. The Strokes’ rhythm guitarist/songwriter is also a restless type. Holidays are short. While the rest of the band is off enjoying a substantial break in the wake of touring its third album, First Impressions Of Earth - a break lead singer Julian Casablancas declared would be substantial - Albert was off recording his second solo album, ¿Cómo Te Llama? (or What’s Your Name?). Now it’s 10pm in New York and he’s back on the road with his own band touring the album.

“I’ve been wonderful, howdy doody,” he says. “I guess I’ve changed for the better.” In what way? “Umm, I’ve discovered new things that I really like. It was exciting to feel that again.” Like what new things? “Just going to see things, reading about new things, interesting conversations, new things. I’ve learned that you can choose to be up or down - I chose to be an up.”

It’s rather cryptic or the last bit rings true. You can choose to be up or down. The question is why he had to make the choice. You also get the feeling it’s better not to ask, this time.

¿Cómo Te Llama? on the other hand is far more understandable. It’s a strong record. Eclectic but well hung together, it’s highs are the remarkable 7-minute instrumental Spooky Couch which is an absolute gem and just shows how far he’s prepared to move away from the Strokes template when he’s on his own, the crunchy The Boss Americana - a perfect 21st Century rock song, You Won’t Be Fooled By This has a melody line to die for, Borrowed Time is New York to the core and has bends and corners and muscles that speak new indie, elsewhere reggae, strings and thoughtful pop rock bounce off one another as Hammond Jr’s moods alternate from song to song. You can trains spot if you wish: his first solo album, Yours To Keep, had plenty of punters breathing Guided By Voices and The Beach Boys as reference points, and they are here as well, but ¿Cómo Te Llama? also has the admitted impact of warriors such as Neil Young and The Clash and the Brit pop ethic of The Kinks.

Albert says despite the end product it wasn’t recorded live. “You don’t have to play live to feel live,” he says. “Sometimes you don’t have time to get all the band together to play and you want to keep a certain momentum in the studio. Next time I want to go live as I’ve just got my own studio up state and we’ll record there. Where, obviously, the commercial and other pressures are less, and there’s the simple freedom of being able to do what you like when you like.”

Hammond Jr admits to being rather overwhelmed by the reaction he’s been getting to Spooky Couch. “I like all the feedback I’ve been getting for the instrumental. I’m kind of shocked at how many people have dug that song. I thought of it as a palate cleanser before the end of the record.” I think of it as a really intriguing piece of music that adds to the overall flamboyance Albert seems able to project whenever he plays like it. This solo band of his has many colours. “That’s the whole point of the record,” he says. “”I felt the band had a different side to show, a whole new story.”

Later he touches on it Spooky again: “I like film. Soundtracks And I like the idea of writing where music has emotion and you can tell a story without writing words. I definitely like that … like classical music..” He visualises it filling a side of a vinyl record - and vinyl is something Albert is big on (I’m with him here). Not only does he love the sound vinyl offers but he’s a sucker for the artwork - the “big picture” as he calls it, in reality and more abstractly. “I love it, you can keep it, put it on your wall. It’s art,” he enthuses.

But for now looking at art of any kind takes second place to the road. He’s touring all the way through to next January.

“I want to do Big Day Out - that’s my plan.”

Ken Lees, Vivian West are you listening? Albert has fond memories - well sort of memories - of the 2004 BDO when the Strokes appeared on a bill that featured headliners Metallica. “It was fun. I was quite intoxicated the whole time. It was quite crazy, that was nuts. I needed a huge break after that.”

And now he doesn’t. “I took a break and then I went back to my work,” he says. “This is what I do. Touring is more demanding on the soul and the body, you are constantly missing people you love and living away from takes its toll but it’s what I choose to do and I can’t complain.”
Different strokes for different folks.