Neil Leyton's long awaited third full length album, titled 'The Betrayal of the Self' was recorded at Acetone studios in Stockholm. Featuring his Swedish backing band, 'The Ghosts', it is a spectacular example of rock n roll, and also features guest performers from the Backyard Babies, Hellacopters and Diamond Dogs. Three of the tracks on the album were also co-written with Stagger Twin Rich Jones (ex-Black Halos and Amen).

Tracks:
1. The System is the System is the Problem
2. When a Ghost Flies Young
3. Slowdance 1974
4. Automatically
5. Flying Machine Blues
6. Drop Dead Gorgeous
7. Alone / Together

8. Hyperventilating
9. I just can't take another smile
10. Done this one before
11. Pleasures for Ophelia
12. Adopt-a-Terrorist
13. Darkness Falls

Exclaim Canada wrote:
Neil Leyton
The Betrayal of the Self
By Sari Delmar
Classic albums don’t always sound classic at the first listen. Neil Leyton’s third album may not sound timeless when you first hear it, but believe me when I say it is. Good music doesn’t unveil its greatness in one listen. Confident and focused, Leyton relies on his sharp knack for writing profound political protest songs with his back up band (which he ironically dubbed “The Ghosts”) that stun the ears off contemporary rock regulars. Recorded in Stockholm, The Betrayal of the Self features the quirks of Brit rock fit snugly beside the North American acoustic rock basics employed by legends like Neil Young or Paul Westerberg, with a little more forward thinking. “The System is the System is the Problem” is catchy rock with some slight punk chants. Incendiary guitar soloing embraces the bridge. With a soft side for hard-hitting melodies, “Slowdance 1974” shows Leyton pulling out an almost Julian Casablancas croon and slowing down the tempo for a live-for-the-moment ballad. Appearances from the Hellacopters’ Nicke Andersson and several members of Sweden’s Diamond Dogs only hint at the fact that Leyton has out done one himself. (Fading Ways)

Neil Leyton, The Betrayal of the Self POPJOURNALISM.CA Review
REVIEWED BY JASON GLADU, POSTED ON NOVEMBER 18, 2006

Remember when you first heard music that truly mattered? It changed the way you listened to music and you just couldn't understand or explain why. Neil Leyton's third release, The Betrayal of Self, will no doubt change people's musical perception; especially those who have been lied to by popular rock culture. The Betrayal of Self is full of 70's rock aesthetics highlighted by unbridled passion and rebellion.
Lyrically, Leyton mixes up Betrayal with songs about passionate sex ("Pleasures for Ophelia"), the tragedy of longing for love ("Alone/Together") and his strong political views on the plight of third world countries, warmongering, and the un-checked media. While some may not agree with Leyton's political views, you can't help but admire his honesty.
Overall, Leyton's sound reminded me of a rougher-edged Ted Leo, an indie-rocker, but with a whole lot more groove and excitement. Part of that excitement is brought on by Leyton's talented backing band, the Ghosts, who employ heavy-handed rock, highlighted by renegade organ player Ola Eklof, who manages to summon the spirit of Billy Preston on Betrayal.
Current favourite tracks include, "I Just Can't Take Another Smile" which takes George Harrison's "Taxman" one-step further by attacking huge retail chains. Also, I can't help but compare "Done this One Before" to some of Keith Richards solo work, and "Darkness Falls" is the perfect closer with its solo acoustic guitar and sweet harmonica. Hopefully, in the near future Leyton's soulful boogie rock will be selling out clubs and will be blasting from your local FM radio station, cause rock 'n' roll needs a Leyton makeover. (Fading Ways Music)

Review from PeteNema.com:
There are a few really interesting things about Neil Leyton and his latest album The Betrayal Of The Self, so I have no idea how anyone who writes about music could pass up the opportunity to write about Neil. The first interesting thing is that the music is really quite good. More details on that later, but it's an important point because without that attribute, I wouldn't have discovered these other bits of information.

When I go to write about an artist, I always like to start out with their physical location. Perhaps I'm just lazy, but I like to say where they're from, where they are based now, or at the very least where they are likely to be. But when writing an article about Leyton, this is not an easy way to start. I know for sure that he was born in Lisbon, Portugal. I know he lived in Canada in the 1990's, where he founded the Canadian indie label Fading Ways Music in 1998. I know his latest album, The Betrayal Of The Self, was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden. And last, but not least, I know that in 2004 he launched the label Fading Ways Music in the UK. Based on this last fact, perhaps he now resides in the UK, but as far as I can tell there is equal chance he resides in Canada. Perhaps with someone like Neil Leyton, stating his location is almost irrelevant as stating his shoe size (which I don't know, please don't email me asking for his shoe size).

And the thing about Fading Ways Music UK that is really interesting is that they have embraced Creative Commons licensing and openly endorse file-sharing and cultural freedom. You won't find a copyright notice on his CD because it licensed to the consumer under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. Imprinted right on the CD, it says "We do not want to sue you for file-sharing our culture. Thanks for the support!" So while major labels were launching law suits against individuals for file sharing, Neil Leyton was figuring out how to use file sharing to gain potential fans. I can not say if this strategy has yet been successful, but I can say that the only way to gain fans is to provide them with the opportunity to listen to your music. If they never hear your music, they can never become fans. I really hope this works out for him.

But what about the music? I wouldn't be writing this if the music hadn't caught my attention. Leyton's music has an underlying base of the early glam-rockers like Bowie (as in the song Automatically), but is obviously influenced by punk rock (The System Is The System Is The Problem), and classic rock guitar (Flying Machine Blues). I could compare some of the music to bands like Spacehog (Hyperventilating), but then I hear something that reminds me of The Rolling Stones (Done This One Before). And even with all these influences, it is amazingly consistent and distinctive.

Put it all together, everything Neil Leyton has done, and you end up with an album worth your time. Partly for the music, partly for what it stands for. Be sure to check out Neil Leyton's website, and if you choose to support him, you can purchase his album at Scratch Records.