Luke Temple - Good Mood Fool

It’s hard to accuse Luke Temple of running dry on ideas. The singer-songwriter discovered his musical spark after struggling as a visual artist in New York and, since then, he has injected his schizophrenic character into each of his albums. From the folk songs of debut ‘Hold a Match for a Gasoline World’ to the Field Music-ish grooves of ‘A Different Ship’ – recorded with his band Here We Go Magic - the Brooklyn songwriter has won fans all over, including Thom Yorke.

Temple continues this shape shifting tradition on his latest solo effort. Recorded during his time away from the band, he’s had the pleasure of ditching creative differences and fully indulging himself by morphing from parred-down experimentalist to ragged eighties revivalist. “Oh, I wanna say ‘Bye, bye, bye, bye,” he sings on opener ‘Hard Working Hand,’ declaring his new found freedom. It’s a captivating start that’s not afraid to show that a good old rummage through Prince’s back catalogue has formed the basis for ‘Good Mood Fool.’

These pastiches don’t stop there either. The swaggering melodies of ‘Katie’ are the catchiest since Prince’s ‘Kiss’, whilst the madcap repetition of ‘Those Kids’ ventures into Sparks’ own eccentric territory. Just when you think Temple tones it all down for the soulful vibes of ‘Terrified Witness,’ WHAM!, ‘Love Won’t Receive’ goes from a Queen soundtrack to the mother of all classic Tom Cruise teen flicks.

Unsurprisingly, all this indulgence means the album brims with Temple’s personal openness. The breezy strings of ‘Florida’ sees him come to terms with his friend’s cocaine addiction as he shouts: “Get out while you still can.” He coos: “Sorry it’s true but I now understand how I hurt you,” as he deals with his own faults throughout ‘Sue’. It’s these personal reflections that make ‘Good Mood Fool’ all the more inviting. Sure, these glossy throwbacks to eighties synth-pop, soul and funk may not be as innovative as anything on Temple’s previous albums, but he does them incredibly well, and it’d be a fool who doesn’t give them a go.