The Charlatans
Modern Nature
BMG Rights
2015
Having experienced a very difficult period, since the death of their drummer Jon Brookes from brain cancer in August 2013, The Charlatans managed to overcome the difficulties and finally release their 12th studio album after a 5-year hiatus.
There’s a moody atmosphere throughout the album and that’s quite understandable. The tracks are rather smooth and have an overall temper atmosphere– but they do not miss the more positive touches too. I guess it should have been a very tough period for the whole band so music under such circumstances is affected by the members’ inner disposition. There’s also a bunch of guest appearances on the album by the 3 drummers – Pete Salisbury (The Verve), Stephen Morris (New Order) and Gabriel Gurnsey (Factory Floor), Kate Bush’s backing singers Melanie Marshall and Sandra Marvin, Sean O’ Hagan (Microdisney, The High Llamas, Stereolab) on strings and Jim Paterson (Dexys) on brass. The album was produced by The Charlatans and Jim Spencer and mixed by Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, Portishead). The sound is crystal clear and smooth on the whole.
The band’s old fans will find this album quite interesting and probably a bit “moody” too. Surely the old fans won’t be disappointed – but the “bet” is how the new fans will take an early90s band which had a great success back in the day and has also offered a handful of classic songs to the music scene.
There’s a moody atmosphere throughout the album and that’s quite understandable. The tracks are rather smooth and have an overall temper atmosphere– but they do not miss the more positive touches too. I guess it should have been a very tough period for the whole band so music under such circumstances is affected by the members’ inner disposition. There’s also a bunch of guest appearances on the album by the 3 drummers – Pete Salisbury (The Verve), Stephen Morris (New Order) and Gabriel Gurnsey (Factory Floor), Kate Bush’s backing singers Melanie Marshall and Sandra Marvin, Sean O’ Hagan (Microdisney, The High Llamas, Stereolab) on strings and Jim Paterson (Dexys) on brass. The album was produced by The Charlatans and Jim Spencer and mixed by Craig Silvey (Arcade Fire, Portishead). The sound is crystal clear and smooth on the whole.
The band’s old fans will find this album quite interesting and probably a bit “moody” too. Surely the old fans won’t be disappointed – but the “bet” is how the new fans will take an early90s band which had a great success back in the day and has also offered a handful of classic songs to the music scene.