Pulse (Tower Records US Magazine), April 2002
Too Late to Die Young (Nettwerk America)

Listeners unaware that Too Late to Die Young is a single-artist album could be forgiven for mistaking this disc for a tribute compilation to seminal British indie label Creation. Enveloping chunky beats, horns and Stones-y vocals in a haze of opium vapor trails, "I Love You" is the best song Primal Scream never wrote, while the catchy, offbeat "What You Have Is Good" recalls the underrated Biff Bang Pow. What unifies Departure Lounge's latest is inventive production by French DJ/producer Kid Loco, which complements the U.K. quartet's organic grooves with laid-back beats and atmospheric samples and the aching vocals of frontman Tim Keegan. Despite seeming evidence to the contrary, Too Late to Die Young proves rather uplifting. The dour title of "King Kong Frown" belies its loopy, Muscle Shoals swagger, "What You Have Is Good" smacks of the Lightning Seeds' bittersweet best and the Leonard Cohen-esque "Over the Side" gleans hope from observations like "It's amazing what you can lose and not be disappointed." In fact, Keegan's knack for songcraft is so superlative, one almost wishes the moody instrumental "Tubular Belgians in My Goldfield" and everything-and-the-kitchen-sink jam "Coke & Flakes" (featuring Keegan's longtime creative cohort Robyn Hitchcock) showcased his well-chosen words, too. (****)
Kurt B. Reighley