Having been writing and recording songs for public consumption for more than 30 years, Martin Newell knows what it's like to be a lifer in a fickle industry that doesn't always reward based on merit. Though he's consistently written catchy and endearing '60s-influenced pop songs in the same vein as Robyn Hitchcock, XTC's Andy Partridge, and Guided by Voices' Robert Pollard, he has commandeered the smallest cult of them all. The "Chocks Away" tracks are excepts from his book The Little Ziggy, a memoir of his glam-rock '70s days; they provide a worthy insight into Newell's sense of amusement with his lifelong obsession. Musically, Radio Autumn Attic features the usual joyful sounds in the harmony-rich "Beat Street," the piano bounce of "The Duchess of Leylandia" (where Newell isn't the only one growing older), and the electric Byrds-like jangle of "Life As a Broken Doll." If Newell sounds all the wiser for his years of toil, he also understands this is the life he was destined for. The songs flow from him and reflect his state of mind, like personal letters from an old friend.