Perhaps the most enticing aspect of being a Jack Ladder fan is the element of surprise. It’s as if the man himself is uncertain which Jack Ladder he will be next – after humble beginnings in coffee-shop balladry, a shift into the avant-garde swiftly followed, itself leading into waves of icy electronica and cavernous ambience.
Constant, fruitful reinvention is the name of the game – and that’s not about to change, ironically enough, on Ladder’s fourth. With his all-star band – Kirin J Callinan, Donny Benet and Laurence Pike – guiding his unmistakable baritone, Playmates is a record that’s often immersed in kitschy ’80s pop touchstones, as well as hints of Leonard Cohen that recall more ‘Dance Me To The End’ or ‘Everybody Knows’ than ‘Bird On The Wire’ or ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’.
Even still, Playmates never comes across as daggy or anachronistic. Perhaps it’s the sting in the tail that comes with Ladder’s mournful, affected lyricism or his occasional snaps into manic howling. Whatever the case, Playmates is an endlessly intriguing, delightfully dark affair.
It’s always a three-year wait between Jack Ladder albums. Playmates will make you feel as though no time has passed at all.
4/5.
Playmatesis out now through Self Portrait/Inertia.
