James - Living in Extraordinary Times

The world doesn’t know it yet, but James may have just produced the best album of their career. A yet long career because started in 1982, with some success in the UK and peaks like Laid, Whiplash or Pleased to Meet You.

For I’ve been instantly gripped by this new album. From the first listen, song after song, I knew. And the following listens confirmed it: I was facing something big, outstanding, unique.
This band succeeded in a tour de force bringing innovation again, after so many years of practise. At the same time it still is James, i.e. the experimentation side doesn’t supplant the essence of the songs. They stay melodic, singable, pleasurable, even lively sometimes. Each one bringing its attraction, its interest, its stength. Here, a Chicano trumpet ("Many Faces"). There, tribal percussions ("Heads"). Elsewhere, awesome rhythms using a piling of layers ("Hank"). Somewhere else more, reinforcements of electro sounds ("Picture of This Place" for example). And when I surprise myself by finding a weaker part, then the following part quickly wipes it away, either in the next song or in the very same song.

Tonight like yesterday, after having listened to a few tracks, I go to bed in such a state of excitement that I hardly find sleep. “Can't hope to sleep on this restless beat.” Despite this I know that I’m going to do it again tomorrow. My own drug.

I also have to speak of leader Tim Booth’s voice, still so inspired, so recognizable, so close that I have the feeling a mate is being talking to me. The mark of this voice over the band is so strong that you will obviously have trouble, if you don’t like it.
Don’t believe you will just be crushed by a crazy dislocated energy, like the single "Better than That", for the band also included a few ballads as only they can do it ("Hope to Sleep", "How Hard the Day").

One word about the booklet, sumptuous. It all blossoms from everywhere, with a lot of colours, over a grenade but over the lyrics too, forcing us to complete them while hearing them – but also hiding a few ‘fuck’s, let’s confess it. Flower power?
Not only. For, unlike their previous album, the message is here mostly political. Except one song dealing with the rock star’s sadness not to see his children grow ("Coming Home (Pt.2)"). The chanted choruses almost look like slogans.
The polemical "Hank" sets the tone from start – “white fascists in the White House” –, but it really mucks around from "Heads", you’ll be surprised by this piece. Hey! James are not mucking around, the world we’re living in is! The “white American dream” is “the poor vote the rich to hammer nails in their feet”. And not only in the US unfortunately.
Tim Booth claims we’re now living in a kind of parallel world, in extraordinary times, since “Leicester city won the league then Brexit, then Trump”. It’s becoming urgent to ensure you’ve got enough of love before you receive a bomb on your head ("Leviathan").

The world doesn’t know it yet, and maybe will never know it. The world doesn’t. But now you do.