The Lost Patrol - 'Songs About Running Away' (Burning Heart)
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
If you think about it, misery can be quite a productive thing. It provides closure, relief, a fresh start. Well, even if it doesn't, you can usually milk a decent album out of it. This is a record dedicated to love, made by a man who (bless him) has been suffering at its cruel hands. You'd expect The Lost Patrol (aka Dennis Lyxzèn) to make for some pretty melancholic listening.
The fact that our Dennis has also been the frontman in such fantastic acts as Refused and The (International) Noise Conspiracy is frankly pretty hard to believe. Not that this material doesn't live up to his past glories, it's just that it's entirely the polar opposite of anything either of his other projects have aimed at. For these dozen songs that make up his second album under The Lost Patrol disguise, Lyxzèn isn't about ear-bleeding rock politics, but songs stripped back to their bare essentials, with some startling results.
The compositions may be simple in nature, but there's a wide range of emotion on display here, from the glorious self-pity of 'Out Of Date' to the uplifting standout duet with Lisa Miskovsky, the almost oompah pop of 'Alright'; not since Bob Marley has a tune consisting mainly of just the one repeated sentiment ('it's alright', fittingly enough) seemed so unqualifiedly believable, not to mention strangely personal. Throughout recording, Lyxzèn demanded no more than three takes per song, and consequently people occasionally sing off key and guitars have a tendency to scratch and squeak in odd places, but the tactic's main effect is to give 'Songs About Running Away' a heartbreakingly honest quality many would do well to indulge in.
Yes - it's an album about love, a dozen songs that read like open letters to a single girl. The heart so visible on Lyxzèn's sleeve, poor chap, is very much a broken one. That girl must have been quite something. Credit then, that through his misery, he's managed to sound quite this optimistic. Its romance turned sour alright, but there's no wallowing in self-commiseration here, nothing of such stereotypically drab singer/songwriter fodder. The Lost Patrol may strum longingly at acoustic guitars, but at least they're shouting and dancing about whilst they're at it... Just imagine how inanely cheerful it would have sounded like if he recorded it at a happier time...
It's not a lonely album, in fact, quite the opposite. He's being somewhat cheeky in calling this a solo effort, as by enlisting about twenty or so other close companions as musical helping-hands, Mr Lyxzèn makes sure this is very much a communal affair: some rock and roll group therapy, if you will. The aforementioned Lisa Miskovsky and David Sandström (also an ex-Refused employee) make the most notable contributions, but it's a joy to hear so many people having input, providing the welcome addition of guitar licks on '200 Reasons Why', sultry flute solos on 'Something Missing' and often improvised vocals on top of a number of their good friend Dennis's constantly accomplished compositions. For once, it's not a case of too many cooks, rather a generous helping of gourmet chefs.
Whether it's confrontational punk metal, sweet acoustic strums or cockney-like knees-ups he's forging, one thing's for sure, the man hiding behind The Lost Patrol front is one of immense (not to mention varied) talent. He's gotten over that broken heart too, and in the best way possible - with twelve wonderful songs.
Artists in this article: The Lost Patrol, The Lost Patrol Band
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