Singer/songwriter Luther Russell didn’t need to bother with a new album. The LA-based rocker was plenty busy playing guitar in Robyn Hitchcock’s backing band and helping pen some songs for dweebcore heroes Weezer. He was doing just fine, thank you very much. But from the first splash of music that kicks off his latest full-length Medium Cool (released in February by local label Fluff & Gravy Records), we should thank our lucky stars that Russell did decided to grace the world with some new tunes. It’s a power pop delight cut with self-loathing and a bruised romanticism worthy of his idols in Big Star. by Robert Ham