On pain

"The typical Cole trademarks are here in abundance - the sharp lyrics; the simple but effective melodies; the deftness of touch. However, On Pain combines them with a little bit of what he was trying to avoid in the '80s, in a very pleasing and effective manner".

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"Lloyd Cole fully embraces synthesizers with 'On Pain' ... It may not have occurred in a single moment, but the speed and grace with which he has reshaped his sound while retaining the elements that have always made him compelling - the literate lyrics, his expressive voice, his knack for hummable melodies - suggest that he has fully arrived at the next phase of a career that continues to deliver songs worth hearing".

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"[Lloyd Cole] too, has become more of what he always was. And somehow he's achieved that by paring his music down t its rawest essence".