Brit-rock legend David J is the co-founder and bassist for Bauhaus and Love And Rockets, as well as a solo artist with much well-received work under his belt. This reworking of 10 songs from his recent 37-track home recording project Tracks From The Attic presents the tunes in different, newer versions that illustrate his diverse capabilities.

“I Wish Those Spacemen Would Come” starts with some cosmic atmosphere before the jangly and melodic guitar rock enters that invites singing-along. “If Muzak Be The Junk Food Of Love” follows, and makes great use of David Raven’s scrappy drums and Jon Bernstein’s well-timed keys for the lush, dreamy moments.

Getting closer to the middle, “The Most Beautiful Girls In The World” benefits from Tony Green’s playful bass that suits the melodies and J’s expressive pipes, while “Leaning Towards The Falls” is piano focused and lands closer to folk-rock.

Further on, Dan Clucas’ trumpet enters the raw, hand clapping ideas of “Homo Sapien Blues” and “I’ll Put Off Thinking About You” allows for John Courage’s aching pedal steel to shine in the thoughtful climate.

The best track, “All The Pilgrims,” arrives late, and blends cozy keys, a fluid rhythm section and an inviting type of romanticism, though “Vincent In The Flames” is a close second thanks to the rich instrumentation and Robert “Smokey” Miles’ subtle accordion.

Considering his globally revered full band work, you might expect doom and gloom here, but J opts for classic country nods, ’70s New Wave and Nick Drake-ish bouts. J put much care and detail into turning the demos he found in boxes of tapes that were decades old, and has given them new life in a way that only he can, and we’re all better off for it.

Rating: A-

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