Doomed romances are the most poetic: that's a maxim Derbyshire-born songwriter Lloyd Cole has clung to since the early '80s, from his indie-rock salad days as a jangle-pop aesthete (“Perfect Skin”) to his later work as a creator of orchestral, country-gothic masterpieces like “There for Her” and “Margo's Waltz”. His songs fizz with telling details—small references to Norman Mailer or Amsterdam hotels—while his Lou Reed-style monotone breaks into a gleeful yelp at key moments, bringing joy to the poised soul of “Brand New Friend” and the reserved folk of “Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?”