Blitz Vega, the band helmed by The Smiths' bassist Andy Rourke and Kav Sandhu of Happy Mondays, formed in 2016 and ended when Rourke died from pancreatic cancer in 2023. He was 59. The band’s lone album, “Northern Gentleman,” has finally been released — 10 tracks largely written and recorded before Rourke's death, the swan song to his impressive career.
For all of the duo’s efforts, however, this is really staid stuff. It borrows some elements from each man’s musical heyday but breathes no new life into their craft. These are arid, rock-by-numbers songs with very little personal illumination to fuel them.
The first three tracks have the zeal of an album that could come pre-installed on the newest iPhone. A non-threatening, formless wall of guitar, delivered at medium pace as Sandhu sings “I wanna spend my time with you/Oh baby, oh baby,” on the song “Disconnected.” It’s soft rock, and undemanding.
Nothing gets terribly good until “Love City.” For all its repetitiveness, the song quickens the pulse and introduces a rhythmic intensity as Sandhu sings of the desire for love and Rourke tears through bass lines. “Pass the Gun” throws in a few retro vinyl scratches to kick things off, but sputters from there despite Rourke's punchy bass work.
In a press release for the album, Sandhu remembers Rourke fondly. “Every song tells a story and personally takes me back to a memory recording that song, the drive to the studio. That conversation or whatever happened surrounding the recording session,” the singer wrote. “I hear his voice in my head, replaying everything we talked about when we were recording the song. I see his face smiling at me."
The duo was technically capable of an album far more compelling than “Northern Gentleman.” The mix is on point and the sonic power is there. Perhaps Rourke and Sandhu just weren't wild enough anymore and unpredictability is the lifeblood of their rock.
Rourke will be remembered fondly for his work with The Smiths, but hardly at all for this posthumous release. ___
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Ron Harris, The Associated Press
