ALBUM REVIEW: Art Feynman – Half Price at 3:30

Western Vinyl

Released: 26.6.20

Art Feynman is the larger-than-life alter ego of singer-songwriter Luke Temple. On the cover of his second album, he coquettishly hides behind a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses. The sleeve is a carbon copy of Lou Reed’s Sally Can’t Dance (1974), tinged with a touch of Kubrick’s Lolita (1962) – sulphurous and sweet.

This album shimmers like a sequined dream of gloss and gloom. It travels at full speed from sombre, minimalist synth pop and psychedelic glam to pure pop – reminding me in turn of Kevin Ayers and Bill Nelson. Mainly, it sounds ‘like punk never happened’ (to quote Dave Rimmer) – a trembling vision of the future past. However, for all its irony, this retrofuturistic fabrication still radiates some true, soulful warmth.