The words “the road to fame and fortune is paved with heartache” adorn the centre-spread of Quinquaginta’s booklet and could well describe Tyla J Pallas’s modus operandi over the course of this latest effort.
The Dogs D’Amour frontman serves up 13 tracks culled from some of his more recent albums, along with just enough new ones to reel in the hardcore. It’s not exactly the dog’s bollocks. There are some lyrical clunkers for a start (‘Just another love song/then she gave me a big fat kiss yeah’ from the apparently heartfelt Just Another Love Song, a song that conjures echoes from an alternate reality where Lemmy quit Motörhead for The Pogues).
For the most part, nothing’s changed. Tyla uses Dogs D’Amour style riffs, lovesick lyrics and artwork that, when combined, represent a carbon copy of ideas already seen again and again on previous titles attributed to The Dogs.
That said, Quinquaginta does have its moments, particularly during the upbeat Hang Em’ High and bluesy Hellraisers (a performance that momentarily ranks at the lower end of euphoric). Ultimately though, Tyla’s Kilmister-meets-Dylan template is a sure-fire recipe for disaster, where the lows routinely outweigh the highs.
