Drawing on the modern anxiety of finding your place in a world saturated by information, Tom Vek's new album Luck plunges the personal to deliver tracks that are sincere, angry and poignant...

Tom Vek's latest album, Luck, contains 11 tracks (46 min, 50 sec) and is one of those albums that takes several listens before you even begin to reap the benefits of the depths of the writing.

'Sherman (Animals in the Jungle)' was inspired by Tom Wolfeʼs novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, and is one of the most memorable and instantly likable tracks on the album.

The instrumental track 'Broke' reminded me, in style of Marc Almond's 1992 cover of David McWilliams's original 1967 single 'Days of Pearly Spencer'.

'Let's Prey' is also an enjoyable electro pop track with catchy lyrics and hypnotic synth based music.

I'm not sure whether Lek's off key vocals are supposed to reflect the hurt, anger and pain the young in society feel as they try to find their place in the world and have their voice heard, but on occasion it's distracting.

On balance, it's an enjoyable album. It's doubtful that you'll get a kick out of all the tracks on the first few listens through... but stick with it and you'll be justly rewarded.

7

Nick Smithson