Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 — Goodnight Oslo

Hitchcock and his R.E.M. cohorts The Venus 3 (guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Scott McCaughey and drummer Bill Rieflin) follow 2006's very fine Ole! Tarantula with this mellower and slightly less rewarding effort.

While Hitchcock's voice is front and centre and in full command, the harmonies provided by McCaughey, Rieflin and guest vocalists Morris Windsor (The Soft Boys), Sean Nelson (Harvey Danger), Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) and Lianne Francis fill things out beautifully — especially on "I'm Falling." Terry Edwards' trumpets and saxophones are another welcomed addition, particularly on "Intricate Thing" and "Up To Our Nex," which was written for the Jonathan Demme-directed film Rachel Getting Married, in which Hitchcock appeared.

The big hooks and quirky humour we've come to expect from the intellectual but eccentric Hitchock aren't as overt as in the past and are missed, but this is a mature pop album that should still please his loyal fans.

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