The Liverpool quartet Courting return with their third album in three years. Lust for Life, Or: How to Thread the Needle and Come Out the Other Side to Tell the Story, covers a lot of ground in just over 25 minutes. Most of these songs are the same strong pop-rock that is their wheelhouse, but the more unusual choices are fascinating.
The album opens with a single violin playing a fast but straightforward arpeggio theme. It’s quickly joined by several more violins and cellos dancing around and accompanying the primary theme. Then, the rest of the strings drop out, leaving just the solo violin. “Rollback Intro” lasts 48 seconds, but it’s enough to establish that theme solidly. That turns out to be necessary, as the album’s eighth and final track, “Likely Place for Them to Be”, uses the same theme.
Instead of a violin, “Likely Place” transposes it to a squalling post-punk guitar, which begins with a brief solo run-through of the theme. This time, drums and bass join in, making for an upbeat, rocking closer. Vocalist Sean Murphy-O’Neill’s vocals are low in the mix, and his lyrics are a bit inscrutable. Interestingly, he drops out at the halfway point of the song, singing, “Every time I get to this part, I just” followed by a scream. The rest of the band continue to rock on the main theme, with an extended guitar solo leading into a 20-second climax of utter noise. Finally, the solo violin reappears, restating the theme one last time and finishing the record.
This bookend is exceptionally well done. The string arrangement is compelling, and hearing it turned into a rock song at the end is equally interesting. It sets a high bar for the rest of Lust for Life, but Courting are up for the challenge. Back at the top of the record, “Rollback Intro” is followed by “Stealth Rollback”, a pulsing electronic track that bears little resemblance to the previous song. Yet it interpolates pieces of “Rollback” to create what’s essentially a Fatboy Slim pastiche. Pounding drums, overly loud synth bass, and serene piano chords layer on each other to bring back that 1990s electronic dance sound with hints of punk.
After “Stealth Rollback”, Courting aren’t quite ready to leave the club behind. “Pause at You” updates the sound to the mid-2000s, bringing dance-rock bands like Franz Ferdinand and the Rapture to mind. Grooving bass, angular guitar, and steady drums (complete with cowbell!) play through the verses as Murphy-O’Neill sing-shouts descriptions of the club scene, ending each line by declaring, “Somebody stop me!” The chorus, of course, straightens out the groove and goes straight ahead. Murphy-O’Neill belts, “I’ll see you around / I always see you around.” “Pause at You” turns out to be the first indication on Lust for Life that Courting will still be doing the catchy rock songs they established themselves on.
The middle of Lust for Life features three tracks that align with Courting’s primary sound. “Namcy” is bright and upbeat, where Murphy-O’Neill speaks and sings his way through a song about new love and getting way ahead of yourself with future plans. Guitarist Joshua Cope strings roughly three different catchy riffs through the track, while the vocal declarations of “Get me away from here, I’m dying” and “French exit, Irish goodbye” are very sticky.
“Eleven Sent (This Time)” is a pleasantly mid-tempo song with a melancholy feel. Adding to that tone is the inclusion of a set of different instruments. A saxophone plays along in the background, essentially soloing beneath the rest of the band. There’s a bridge where a violin and organ appear, and a piano pops in for the track’s back half. There’s also a memorable moment where Murphy-O’Neill blithely dismisses an entire genre of music: “A heavy metal band started to play / A being upset in B-flat kind of tune.” Next, “After You” features a song-length wall of guitar distortion, giving the track a 1990s shoegaze sheen despite its otherwise straightforward structure.
The six-minute plus “Lust for Life” is the most ambitious track in the penultimate slot. It starts calmly, with laid-back guitars, falsetto vocals, and a touch of sax and synth. The tempo picks up as Murphy-O’Neill repeatedly pleads, “Tell me where the story ends.” From here, the kick drum starts up a steady pulse, and the saxophone wails, giving the track a late-night celebration feel. Drummer Sean Thomas’ fills at the end of this section make it triumphant.
Courting shift gears into bouncy, easygoing Britpop for the final section. Murphy-O’Neill sings about meeting a woman and going to her home for the night. Cope’s jaunty guitar makes everything sound like it’s a great evening. Then Murphy-O’Neill gets to the twist ending as he notices a handgun on her nightstand. “She said ‘I know a place where we can both go’ / And she pushed it to my temple and I-” and the track abruptly stops. It doesn’t happen very often in pop music, but boy, do I love a song that ends suddenly with the narrator’s death. It makes me laugh every time.
Courting pack a lot of superb material into such a short running time. Every one of Lust for Life‘s eight tracks is interesting, and most are unique. Their slightly off-kilter take on guitar rock is rewarding, and the way the end of the album matches up with the beginning is very successful.