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Lonely Robot: A Model Life
 A Model Life is the fifth album from John Mitchell's Lonely Robot project, a sort of solo venture he does when not deeply involved in albums or tours with Arena, Kino, Frost*, and It Bites. Playing all the instruments here and handing all vocals, save for Craig Blundell's drums and backing vocals from Sarah Lambert-Gates on a few tracks, Mitchell once again proves to be a mighty talented musician, singer, and songwriter. Those looking for some of the bombastic, muscular prog of Arena though should check your expectations at the door, as Lonely Robot is much more in a pop vein with some proggy embellishments, and A Model Life favors soaring hooks and alluring textures over oodles of dramatic flair and guitar & keyboard solos and explorations. As long as you know what you are getting yourself into, this album contains plenty of rewards. "Recalibrating is a fun & vibrant opener, Mitchell's strong, Peter Gabriel styled vocals a real highlight, and "Digital God Machine" is chock full of hooks, tasty guitar work, and drenched in synths, easily one of the strongest and most appealing tracks here. "Starlit Sundust" is another song to look forward to, again hinting at mid-'80s Gabriel but also a touch of '90s Marillion, the chorus and hooks really memorable. Another winner is "The Island of Misfit Toys", one of the more upbeat tracks, solid vocal hooks and bubbling synths everywhere...very '80s sounding once again. "Rain Kings" is also pretty sumptuous, littered with keyboards and just fantastic sounding...I just wish there was a little more 'oomph' on this and many other tracks on the album. Overall, it's a pretty mellow affair, A Model Life sounds great, and there's nothing really much to pick on here, but I'm left wanting more and wishing chunks of this album would get out of first gear. That being said, I can easily recommend this album to anyone who likes memorable pop music with some proggy bits thrown in for good measure...it's not really my cup of tea, but I can certainly hear the appeal, and it's all really well done.
Track Listing
01. Recalibrating (5:02)
02. Digital God Machine (6:08)
03. Species in Transition (6:19)
04. Starlit Stardust (5:48)
05. The Island of Misfit Toys (4:18)
06. A Model Life (5:27)
07. Mandalay (1:56)
08. Rain Kings (6:33)
09. Duty of Care (6:24)
10. In Memoriam (5:53)
Added: January 5th 2023
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score: 
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 700
Language: english
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Lonely Robot: A Model Life
Posted by Jose Antonio Marmol, SoT Staff Writer on 2023-01-05 14:02:30
My Score: 
What I know about Mitchell’s work resides strictly on a few Arena and *Frost albums, no Kino, no It Bites, and certainly no Lonely Robot, so this is my first step into his poppier side. A Modern Life is the 3rd studio album under the moniker Lonely Robot, and John does basically everything here, except for the drumming, Jeff B is the responsible for those.
The great guitar work is very present, all over the place, as expected… particularly in songs like “Species in Transition”, “Starlit Stardust”, and “In Memoriam”, but what really caught my attention were both his elegant and accessible songwriting abilities, and the warmth of his vocal style, a cross between Peter Gabriel and Seal… the music is very pop oriented and there’s an obvious “look and feel” of a what a lonely robot would sound if singing his thoughts, sadness, and loneliness… at least to my ears…
Even though my favorite Pink Floyd music was recorded and released in the mid-late 70’s, I’ve always been a fan of albums like The Division Bell and A Momentary Lapse of Reason, the melodic and less psychedelic Gilmour version, and this LR album sounds at times a lot like those PF records, so there’s a lot of immediate and attractive flavors to its music. The opener song “Recalibrating” kicks things off in perhaps the fastest tempo of the whole record, and somehow reminds me of some passages from Day and Age (*Frost), cool song. The more melodic and catchy stuff can be found in songs like “Starlit Stardust”, the title track “A Modern Life”, and “Rain Kings”, all sing-along tunes. The most interesting tracks, those where I find all the desired ingredients and my preferred mix of elements are “Digital God Machine” and “Duty of Care” … those two songs make my listening experience worthwhile… in sum, a solid output by a much-loved guitarist and singer. Cheers!
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