Squeeze have done well. They’ve worked their arses off for years and now have significant profile again, playing some of Europe’s bigger venues (such as the O2). Their latest release, then, is anticipated. It’s a fanciful rejig of a concept album the band’s central duo, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, created, pre-success, when they were teenagers in 1974. For both better and worse, it sounds that way.
Trixies offers 13 snapshots of an imaginary nightclub, much flavoured by Difford’s youthful reading of Damon Runyon’s New York nightworld tales, mingled with the lowlife of their native south London. The original was created before the Year Zero honing of punk, and the music is flavoured accordingly. “The Place we Call Hell” is redolent of Elton John (and even closer, coincidentally, to Scissor Sisters' “Return to Oz”), “Hell on Earth” recalls Supertramp’s stomping glitz, and “The Jaguars” has a Quo-ish blues boogie.
These songs have their charms but also a pastiche element. The album’s highlights are leaner. Notable among them are slowie “It’s Over”, which comes on like Richard Hawley doing his Roy Orbison thing, “Why Don’t You”, which has riffy snap akin to Squeeze’s best, and, finest of all, the euphoric closing “Trixies (Part 2)”, a “Stripper”-rhythmed burlesque celebration, all woodwind, anemoia and sass.
Trixes is a smart idea, but its makers say they hardly changed the lyrics from the 50-year-old original. While this stays true to the historical aspect, it also shows off clangingly gauche couplets galore (“Sweat was dripping from her nose/Some old men shouted, ‘Take off your clothes’.”).
Difford and Tilbrook have quietly developed a reputation as two of the country’s wittier songwriters. Squeeze’s 1982 45s and Under compilation is a benchmark of quality new wave pop, and they’ve created many less-heralded gems since. Trixies shows them off as precocious teens but lyrically naïve, joyfully taking a musical TARDIS to long ago. This is often fun but, apparently, making this album inspired a brand new set of songs. It may be that these are where the project’s true value lies.
Below: Watch/listen to the visualiser for Squeeze's song "Trixies (Part 2)"
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