Martin Gordon – How I Am Doing So Far

Martin Gordon / Radiant Future

feat. Pelle Almgren vocals, Chris Townson drums, Andy Reimer & Enrico Antico guitars

Press:

rack #13 “Bad Light Stops Play” uses a phrase from the game of cricket to form a delectable pop piece. On slightly darker material such as “Anyway Goodbye”, the upbeat spirit still comes through. Here, in the way of a bubbly chorus. “Only One Dream Per Person” may be the most somber song on the album and its premise is a re-imagining of Heaven if run by Germans. If there’s one thing this record wants to get across it’s that you shouldn’t take most of it seriously. Occasionally the songs feel a bit too polished with great guitars, excellent vocal arrangements, and a fantastic backing band making you wish for a slightly more raw and less sincere feeling. It can almost seem as if Gordon is trying too hard to make each song a model of sophisticated power pop. When you come near the end of the album you may feel worn out on it all. Thankfully, “Girls Fight Over Me” and (Andy Reimers)“Good Girls Gone Bad Remix” serve up a bit more edgy, immediate fair. Overall, How Am I Doing So Far? is a great CD on it’s own and will serve as a good intro course on Martin Gordon for newcomers. He knows how to craft slick, catchy pop songs that would otherwise come off as novelty items.
Cameron Graham

Presse:

Track 13, „Bad Light Stops Play“, greift eine Phrase aus dem Cricket auf und macht daraus einen wunderbaren Pop-Song. Auch bei etwas düstereren Stücken wie „Anyway Goodbye“ bleibt der optimistische Grundton erhalten – hier in Form eines beschwingten Refrains. „Only One Dream Per Person“ ist womöglich der melancholischste Song des Albums; er entwirft die Vision eines Himmels, der von Deutschen verwaltet wird. Wenn dieses Album eines vermitteln will, dann dies: Man sollte das meiste davon nicht allzu ernst nehmen. Gelegentlich wirken die Songs etwas zu glatt poliert – mit großartigen Gitarren, exzellenten Gesangsarrangements und einer fantastischen Begleitband –, sodass man sich bisweilen einen etwas raueren, weniger „aufrichtigen“ Sound wünscht. Bisweilen hat man den Eindruck, Gordon bemühe sich fast zu sehr darum, jeden Song zu einem Musterbeispiel für anspruchsvollen Power-Pop zu machen. Gegen Ende des Albums stellt sich womöglich ein gewisses Sättigungsgefühl ein. Glücklicherweise bieten „Girls Fight Over Me“ und der (Andy Reimers)  „Good Girls Gone Bad Remix“ etwas kantigere, unmittelbarere Kost. Insgesamt ist „How Am I Doing So Far?“ ein hervorragendes Album, das sich zudem bestens als Einstieg in das Werk von Martin Gordon eignet. Er versteht es meisterhaft, ausgefeilte, eingängige Pop-Songs zu schreiben, die sonst leicht als bloße Spielerei wirken könnten.
Cameron Graham

Fufkin

This might be the ultimate argument settler. Rather than squabble over which of Gordon’s three solo albums is the best, just get this compilation, and skim the cream. The former leader of Jet and Radio Stars (after his apprenticeship in Sparks) does a terrific job of picking out the top tracks from his trilogy of witty power pop discs. As I’ve written before, Gordon’s solo tuneage sounds like a modern update on his Radio Stars work, just a bit smoother, and leavened with bits of his glam past and contemporaries like Cheap Trick. He has a crack band, with former Jet and John’s Children drummer Chris Towson on the skins and an excellent singer in Pelle Almgren, along with two ace guitarists, Andy Reimer, who played on the first two albums, and Enrico Antico, who was on the last one. Some songs are just breezy fun, like “Fuss Me”. Gordon shows that he can take a clever lyrical concept and make it pay off, skewering internet scams on “(Oh No, What Shall We Do?) Daddy Lost His Head in a Coup”, and writing a sci-fi romantic tale in “Her Daddy Was a Dalek, Her Mummy Was a Non-Stick Frying Pan”.

While rockers like “Cheap Trick” and “Plug ‘n’ Play” are Gordon’s bread-and-butter, some of the best songs are slower tunes, augmented by outstanding lead guitar work. “Only One Dream Per Person” imagines what Heaven would be like if run by Germans, while “Bad Light Stops Play” takes a term used in cricket broadcasts on a song with Move-like pop-psych overtones. While Gordon’s cover of The Move’s “Tonight” is a personal favorite, the three on this collection are also standouts. There’s The Beatles’ “Every Little Thing She Does”, Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Captain of the Pinafore”, and from the original movie *The Producers*, “Love Power”. These remakes give you an idea of the musical and lyrical sensibilities at work here. There are four bonus tracks, i.e., unreleased, which just add to the fun.
Mike Bennett