The lighter side of British New Wave lived in the Soft Boys, led by Hitchcock, whose oddness then charmed college rock fans Stateside in the 1980s with the Egyptians. Just turned 60, he still has a lot to say. Being a Brit shines through in production and lyrics. While cellos roil on “Be Still,” he admires a woman “as beautiful as silence and quiet as a stone.” A big beat backing Beatle-y layered vocals and resonating piano drives tunes like “End of Time,” where “60-second feelings” are priced to go. Hitchcock’s salient observations and sparkling backdrops fuse to let pessimism land less as a thud than shared imaginings.
This article appears in Mar 21-27, 2013.