CMJ New Music Report
August 12, 1996 (Issue 486)
Robyn Hitchcock
Moss Elixir -- Warner Bros.
by James Lien
Over the years and albums, Robyn Hitchcock's slowly grown from being an eccentric and goofy Psychedelic troubadour to being a pretty mature artist. And the fact that he's managed to do it without too many people noticing is a pretty monumental achievement. Though he's certainly not the strangest person ever to park his buggy in the Warner Brothers lot (Captain Beefheart or Mark Mothersbaugh probably holds that honor), he does seem rejuvenated by the label switch: this is the most confident, strident Hitchcock album in many a moon. Of course, it's pure Robyn Hitchcock: 12 cuts of skewed lyrical visions and simple, memorable tunes -- a formula that he previously perfected, but that's now just a little older and more down-to-earth. That is the triumph of Moss Elixir: Robyn Hitchcock has grown up, slowly, confidently, and without turning sour or alienating anybody. This time, he mixes in quite a few real details and life experiences with his usual wordplay and strange scenes. It's almost like another Eye or I Often Dream Of Trains. But instead of being a modern-day Syd Barrett, he's just being Robyn Hitchcock. Fans of the old mad-hatter Hitchcock will revel in the delerium of "DeChirico Street" or "Filthy Bird", while the new, wiser Hitch emerges on "Sinister But She Was Happy", "This Is How It Feels", and "The Speed Of Things".
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