SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GLEN MATLOCK – CONSEQUENCES COMING

Glen Matlock
Consequences Coming
Cooking Vinyl

Glen Matlock has had quite a career. He was the original bassist for The Sex Pistols, a member of Rich Kids, s icurrent touring member of Blondie, and his own solo records. Consequences Coming is his first solo outing since 2018’s Good To Go, and it is good to have him back.

This is a hard-driving album, musically and lyrically. In many respects it is very heavy. Matlock dials into early 1970s hard rock, more than punk. However, his vocals do fall into the punk category and it is clear that he should have taken the vocals more often than he did. He has a strong and emotive voice, which makes the make all the more essential. In others hands, some of these songs may sound like empty slogans but Matlock has such strong conviction that it gives the songs that little extra push.

As heavy as the album is, it still has the earmarks of punk and strong melodies. The album opens with the angry and rocking “Head On A Stick”. “So many minds out on vacation. All pleading ignorance is bliss,” he sings.  “Face In The Crowd” is an excellent example. It has the la-la-la sing-along chorus and the melody just burrows into the brain. Then just as quickly the listener travels to the 1950s for the do-wop glory of “Tried To Tell You”. Again, lyrically Matlock expresses his warnings of not paying attention to the world’s ills, but he does it with such a lovely retro melody that the listener is just sucked into the beauty of the song.

And there are still surprises. There is an interesting cover of “Constant Craving”, which turns the song from a yearning love song to more of a call to arms. And Matlock succeeds with this interpretation of the classic pop hit. Sure, it is still a little pop but the song never sounded so angry and driven.

Matlock has taken his time with this album, and it seems that he has been moved by recent events in the world to come up with it. He is angry and not shy to share his opinions anad views. He also looks to the public to awaken and raise their collective voice in question.And thankfully, he does it so musically and melodically. It is a strong album and one his fans have been waiting for from him for a long time.

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