I first encountered James as special guests to The Smiths on their `Meat Is Murder` tour in 1985 and since then I have kind of absorbed their catalogue infrequently but become much more engaged in the last five or so years. They release their eighteenth studio album `Yummy` this month, which for me is a fairly frightening thought.
The album opens with `Is This Love` an all-embracing rolling pulsing ode of love or joy as it ruminates on all aspects of the universal search for love and peace of mind. In typical `James` fashion it`s pretty simple but so, so effective and a gentle introduction to this latest release. The harmonies are wonderfully absorbing, and the occasional brass blasts are truly joyous. A vibrating beat leads us into `Life Is a Fucking Miracle` which is a rhythmic funky almost disco tinged anthem with a nigh on stream of consciousness expressing the joys of remaining on this mortal coil.
`Better With You` begins gently and grows into an introspective dance like composition with lyrical content that is pretty broad initially but appears to be a minimal affirmation of one`s love for that special somebody. We enjoy a further reflective dreamy contemplation in `Stay` with simple everyday observations that may well be a metaphor for some deeper life considerations. What I took was almost a `be appreciate for what you have and enjoy it while it lasts`.
`Shadow Of A Giant` is the longest track on `Yummy` and is initially a spoken word observational echo on life which has a gospel like vibe with ethereal harmonies and strings that add a haunting melancholic ambience. A piano joins and leads a gently sung meditation on existence through to its conclusion. A vocoder or slightly computerised vocal opens `Way Over Your Head` with a guiding pulse allowing a bass toned vocal to share the occasional thought of “Raise The Dead” in a growly rumble. To me there was an understated New Order riff running underneath. The overall sentiment was that of being there for somebody when and if required.
`Mobile God` is a commentary on the power that mobile phones hold over our lives twenty-four-seven these days but shared in an amusing manner and a dance like vibe. There`s an almost cartoon tune intro to `Our World` where the band`s environmental credentials surface in a whistling upbeat electronic coloured foot tapper that attests as to no matter what race or creed we/you are, we all have our part to play in our planets longevity.
`Rogue` harks back to early James for me with its jangly guitars and intricate lyrical content rapidly shared over a fastish paced indie aural soundscape that soars at times as it evolves. In `Hey` we have a much more pensive, introspective composition that blossoms with a guiding electronic beat with some delightful backing harmonies. At times, the dialogue shared seems to almost argue with itself.
`Butterfly` is a stripped back composition with a free association lyrical thought process where the scrutiny of a winged insect and it`s short but bright lifespan becomes an analogy for the possibility of how we should approach the life we have. A butterfly being a potent symbol of spiritual and personal transformation along with a sign of hope and regeneration. The album closes with `Folks` which has a kind of off kilter wonkiness about it at the beginning but morphs into a dreamy rhythmic almost mesmerising composition.
It`s around three years since James`s last original studio release `All the Colours Of You` surfaced and `Yummy` is a continuation of all that this band hold dear such as environmental concerns and how we should treat each other, all shared against a very danceable backbeat which to me is much more effective that preaching.
The message here seems much more understated with Tim`s rich and distinctive vocal delivery sharing life affirming sentiments.
I looked for a variety of ways as to how to sum up this release but found that the band had said it all for me in one word `YUMMY`
Rating 9/10
