James
Living in Extraordinary Times
Infectious
More than 30 years after their first release, the Mancunian Brit-pop favourites have continuously evolved to remain as relevant as ever. Singer Tim Booth, now based in California, sets his stall out lyrically from the off on this latest album, with the political and the personal represented in the first two songs – the percussive anti-Trump diatribe Hank followed by Coming Home (Part 2), a companion piece to 1990's Come Home and a tender expression of love from afar for his son.
The political side is perhaps best expressed on Many Faces, a message of unity which pointedly states "all walls fall over time", while the two schools meet on May's storming lead-out single Better Than That, one of the band's best songs in years. The seven-minute-plus What's It All About, which at one point echoes the cadence of Better Than That's pre-chorus, is another stand-out at the back end of a fine set.
Tom White
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