Weekly > Reviews
The Charlatans - Simpatico
Monday 17th April 2006 …. the date that most Charlatans fans will have been eagerly awaiting. The release date of long-awaited new album Simpatico. Fans across the land will have spent a couple of hours, perhaps more, listening to this, The Charlatans’ 9th studio recorded album in their 16-year reign as the kings of indie (okay, okay, my opinion).
But, was it worth waiting for ….?
Those of you who saw my review of the single Blackened Blue Eyes will know that, after initial nonchalance, I quickly became a lover of it, and anticipated it as a delicious taster of what I hoped would be a fantastic album …. so …. you like reggae?
You do?
Good, then you will love this album. Me? Can’t stand the stuff and therefore it pains me to say that I’m not so keen on this album. “What??”, I hear you cry. Just because I’m a Charlatans fan doesn’t mean to say I have to like everything they do. That’d be like me wearing eighties drainpipes and “fame-esque” grey marl stripes just because they’re in fashion now, when I know I’d look shite in them …. or maybe not …. I’m just saying that I try not to like/dislike things to conform …. I digress. Onto the album.
I won’t go into Blackened Blue Eyes as you can see what I think of that in the separate review. But I will just say that I still really like it and it is by far the best track on the album.
- The Charlatans
- Simpatico (2006)
- Category: Album
- Label: Sanctuary Records
- Reviewed by: Rachel
- Published on: 18 Apr 2006
- Comments: 0
- Beat Surrender Rating:
Weblinks
Add to favouritesAll this reggae business starts with For Your Entertainment, and is continued in City Of The Dead which features a rather bizarre feature of “Hammond reggae” which ends up sounding, to me, like UB40 crossed with The Thompson Twins!! In Road To Paradise, the reggae beat is coupled with Burgess actually sounding a bit like Mr Marley …. and I’m not sure it suits him. On it continues down the spine of the album into The Architect, concluding with the final instrumental reggae/80s electro-pop track, Sunset And Vine. So there you have the tracks I don’t like, and before you think I’m slating this album totally, I’m glad to say that the reggae is interspersed with some pretty good tracks too.
Muddy Ground comes a close second to Blackened Blue Eyes …. a beautiful piano-heavy balladic melody with haunting vocals from the lovely Mr Burgess. The slow balladic feel is also portrayed in Glory Glory, almost reverting back to the band’s indie roots and has lovely lyrics. Finally, there’s a more than a peppering of funky, almost ska-influenced rock with NYC (There’s No Need To Stop), Dead Man’s Eye and When The Lights Go Out In London, the latter of which is reminiscent of one or two tracks on Burgess’s solo album.
Sooooo …. verdict. I’m stuck in my ways; a lover of The Charlatans early stuff and I love them for it, and therefore, I don’t really get this album and I won’t be playing it a lot and that’s why the cd gets such a low score. For me, it lacks what I think the band is about, and maybe I should be a little more open-minded and move on, but I don’t like reggae, never have, never will, and I can’t change that, and that’s my personal preference. BUT what “Simpatico” DOES do is show that this lot, after 16 years, still have it and that they also have the balls to try something a bit different, which I think is great. They’re showing us that there is more to them than indie anthems and acoustic ballads; that they are not stale or getting stuck in a rut; that they have the longevity to still stay on top …. there are not many bands that can pull this off so hats off to them.
And despite my views, I’ll still be there at Leeds Uni, singing along …. maybe even reggaeing with the best of em ….
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