This 17th solo album by the restless, ever-changing stylish mod-rock-punk veteran is one of his mellower, more reflective releases, marking his age, a classic number, (and year) distinctively depicted by Peter Blake on the cover art. Not afraid to collaborate, Weller has also brought in Noel Gallagher and Bobby Gillespie for some of the lyric writing and commissioned Hannah Peel to orchestrate on five of the songs, the standout of those, with delicious strings and horns, is the gorgeous A Glimpse of You, which as conjures up an ageing Weller in reflection: “Into the gardens in blooming May I find a wooden seat where I can wait until the end of the world.” Rise Up Singing with its swooping strings is a smooth orchestral almost easy listening style with a Style Council vibe. There are indeed echoes of different eras of Weller’s career and the music that’s influenced him from 60s psych to glam rock, Jam-era post-punk to 80s Style Council to his more acoustic, but also punchy 90s Wild Wood solo work. Opener Ship of Fools is a gentle acoustic number and a collaboration with Madness frontman Suggs, and has a flavour of The Kinks too, with pub piano and a sense of nostalgia of English rock. More of this comes in the shuffly, sunlit, flute-inflected Sleepy Hollow. But there’s further variety – Jumble Queen has a glam stomp to it with stylish horns, Flying Fish is is virtually pop disco, almost Abba-like Winner Takes It All, while My Best Friend’s Coat is an elegiac waltz-time chanson-style number, In Full Flight is a dreamy, floaty creation with production duo White Label, Nothing is darkly melancholic, while Soul Wandering’s guitar echoes early Fleetwood Mac and a dash of 60s psych. Mellowing slightly with age, perhaps, with a bit of a reflection on different eras, but this album offers more at each listen, gently experimental and with surprises up his sleeve. As Weller sings in Jumble Queen - “Take what you want … I see the future looking back at me.” Out on Solid Bond / Universal.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Feel free to recommend more new albums and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: