Lester Greenowski “It’s Nothing Serious Just Life”

Lester Greenowski is a new name to us but he has actually been releasing records since the early 00’s and used to record with his band the Landslide Ladies. He has also toured with great bands like Faster Pussycat, Backyard Babies and The Vibrators. More recently, he has being touring as the bass player for The Boy’s Honest John Plain. All of which isn’t a bad hint of the sounds that await you on this album.
The album opens in serous kick ass rock n roll fashion with “Trail of Graffiti” which is a great mix of punk and glam or ‘Glunk’ as it’s affectionally known as to the fans of this genre. If that song isn’t sleazy enough for you then check out the ode to one of the best named Bond Girls “Pussy Galore”.
Lester does take us out of the gutter with “Such A Shame”, and it’s a quite brilliant power pop sounding number. It’s a brilliant tune and is followed by the equally uplifting “Angela”. We are soon back into sleaze rock n roll territory though with “It’s Gonna Be Wrong”, a song which recalls early Wildhearts at their pop best. “Electric Blue” with its use of saxophone and confident swagger recalls the legendary purveyors of sleaze punk, Hanoi Rocks.

We’re given a bit of a breather on “Little Lovechild” which is more easy going but still a highly infectious pop/rock number. That appreciation of a good pop tune continues, but in a slightly more robust way, on “Beautiful”. Although, you get the feeling that with songs like that one and the catchy “Say Bye Bye” and “This Goes Out To You”, that Lester really does appreciate the beauty of a well written pop chorus. They’re the sort of songs that if they were given a bit of a shine and delivered by The Vamps, they would go straight to No1 (and rest assured that IS a compliment!!)
However, don’t go away thinking that it’s all sweetness and light though. There is still some room for a bit of punk rock intensity as shown by tracks like “Ritalin Baby” and “I Wish I’d Never known You”. Although it all ends with another real pop/rock gem in the shape of “Bitter Sweet”.

This really is a great album which maintains a level of quality, and indeed fun, from start to finish. Mixing a sense of rock n roll sleaze with a feeling for a pop melody, without falling in to the trap of ‘throwaway’ is damn hard. Indeed, only a few bands like the aforementioned Wildhearts and their related side projects have been able to deliver it consistently (although the sadly forgotten Rich Rags also achieved it on their release!). Lester Greenowski has managed to hit the sweet spot on many of the tracks on this album. It’s an album that manages to maintain an infectious level of both passion and fun throughout and will be loved by many from the first time they hear it.