Albert Hammond Jnr
?Como Te Llama?
(Rough Trade)
The nimble and distinctive guitar arrangements driving ?Como Te Llama? confirm Albert Hammond Jnr's position as the engine of The Strokes. Yet there are many instances when he improves on the formula confected by the New York five-piece to the extent that it's tough to call his second solo outing a 'side project'.
The son of Gibraltarian musician Albert Hammond and Argentinean former model Claudia Fernandez, Hammond Jnr has proved himself a serious rock proposition over his two solo offerings and ?Como Te Llama? exudes confidence.
Indeed, it's a brave move to put a quiet seven-minute instrumental towards the climax of a rock record but Spooky Couch manages to give the album the kind of depth and texture that many critics feel The Strokes have lacked over the years. Sean Lennon pops in to play the piano on the track and his presence bolsters the sparse and sad meditation.