We’re catching up on things and I saw that Jemaur Tayle’s new Vamberator project just released their second single last Friday. It’s got the provocative title of “I Used To Be Lou Reed” and we dove into the artist’s Bandcamp page and purchased it last night since the first single was a such a giddy exploration of the myriad of possibilities possible in Art Pop in ways that sounded absolutely nothing like Shelleyan Orphan; Tayle’s earlier project that first brought him to my attention nearly 40 years ago.

Vamberator: I Used To Be Lou Reed – UK – DL [2024]

1. I Used To Be Lou Reed 5:12

This one plays things closer to its vest; beginning with low octave piano, functioning like bass in the intro as it was paired with acoustic guitar. Then, when the drums rolled out, the Archemia string quartet [along with horns!] added a sixties swagger to the proceedings. Followed by Mr. Tayle adding the graceful swoop of his vocals to the mix; gliding up and down the octaves as the vibe here called for an insouciant, jazzlike touch. Giving off pleasurable whiffs of the sort of vocalizing that we expect from Green Gartside, which has always been just around the corner from Jemaur’s vocal style, now that I consider it.

By the time that the chorus kicked in, so did the major chords being held in check until that point. And the swagger hinted at in the intro was put in the shade as the song took full flight in the most impressive way. Positioning back into the the introduction theme for the next verse. Reed fans would have to love the lyrical nods to Hubert Selby and the “ostrich guitar” that Tayle sprinkled throughout the song like the knowing signposts they were.

The string crescendos in the second chorus showed that the song was happy to climax for a full minute as the lead and backing vocals and the vibrant strings hit their euphoric peak before the entire song diminished into its minute long coda where the scatting backing vocals from Jo Nye and acoustic guitar were joined by distant NYC foley sound effects of sirens and honking horns to take the song to the softest landing possible.

This single was recommended to any Prefab Sprout or Scritti Politti fans aching for another hit of that similarly arch, yet Poptastic, sound that those two artists also brought to bear on their releases. We’ve had two singles now that suggest that it will be a diverse smorgasbord of Pop when that Vamberator album finally happens. If you can’t wait either, then DJ hit that button!

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