ALBUM REVIEW: Marc Valentine – Uncommon Side Effects (Wicked Cool)
Uncommon Side Effects is the third solo album by Marc Valentine, the UK’s prince of power-pop, who hails from that well-known rock ‘n’ roll hotbed of, er, Norwich.
It’s his second for Little Steven Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool label after 2024’s Basement Sparks, and it’s another hugely enjoyable listen.
You might have come across him before as frontman of Camden glam-rock-pop outfit Last Great Dreamers, where he honed his skills across four well-received albums before launching a solo career in 2022.
He and his band – Richard Davies (guitar), Richie Poynton (bass), Neil Scully (keyboards) and Rik Pratt (drums) – worked on Uncommon Side Effects with producer Dave Draper (The Professionals/The Wildhearts/Dodgy) at his Old Cider Press Studios in Worcestershire.
The result is 10 tuneful slices of glam-tinged power-pop of a calibre which would have made him a huge star if it this record had been made at the end of the ’70s.
Valentine wears his influences on his sleeve – Cheap Trick, The Cars, a dash of Ramones here, a touch of T-Rex there. It’s a heady mix, and he’s a singer-songwriter of rare talent.
The album begins with NY UAP, a keyboard-soaked tale of extraterrestrial intervention, and it’s a great taste of what’s to follow, with hooks aplenty and a great singalong chorus.
High In The Underground has a riff which recalls The Who’s Baba O’Reilly and a great driving rhythm, and The Other Side sounds like prime era Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
You Are The Jet is a wistful tale of suburban love gone wrong, and could be from any Ash album in the last 30 years, while Loneliest Part is a reflective
The riff-filled Tiger On Glass lifts the mood again, despite being about an imminent break-up, while Hanging On A Dream is a more melancholy number about drifting through life and coping with hard times.
The only real change of pace is on Half Moon Pendant, an acoustic love song, but it’s back to foot to the floor rock ‘n’ roll for the closing one-two of the punky Temporary Buzz and the message of hope that is When The Light Has Gone.
There’s lots to enjoy in this album, and it’s one you’ll keep coming back to time and again. 8/10.
