We Are Love

The Charlatans have been through a lot over the course of their long career, from highs like reaching the top of the charts to lows as low as losing members of the band to early deaths. Through it all, they have continued to press on making records that by the time of 2025s We Are Love sound like nobody other than them. The album came after a long break, and the group seem reinvigorated and glad to be back making music, even though the overall tone of the album is firmly planted on the sad side. Much of that comes down to the band delving into the death and sadness that has followed them, some of iwhich comes with getting older and having more life and times to look back on. Thanks to the sympathetic production from the team of Dev Hynes, Stephen Street, and Fred MacPherson, We Are Love sounds great: very warm and layered with richness, like a classic 70s album. This lends the songs even more of a sense of sepia-toned nostalgia, especially on the couple of songs where they kick up an almost baggy backbeat. Mostly the record is moored in the midtempo, with the organs swirling calmly, the guitars jangling, and the rhythm section holding it down with easy grace. Over the top, Tim Burgess croons with his usual everyman simplicity, delivering lyrics that exude tangible wistfulness and occasionally some near-whimsy. The result is an album full of songs like "For the Girls" and "Many a Day a Heartache" that come across like best-case scenarios for what one has hoped that the band might sound like someday, blending together elements of all their eras to end up with a powerful rock & roll sound, while the ballads -- especially the album-ending "Everything Now" -- have an emotional depth that feels earned. The band might not be looked at as being as legendary as some of their flashier, more tempestuous peers, but theres something to be said for keeping on course, making really solidly good records, and when the stars align, coming up with something that verges on greatness. The Charlatans have done that with We Are Love, and while it may not win them front-page news, its an accomplishment well worth applauding. ~ Tim Sendra

90年代以降のUKロックに道を作ってきた重鎮がデビュー35年の節目に新作を完成! ティム・バージェスの定期的なソロ作もやはりホームの安定感あってこそ。豪華ゲストを招いた前作『Different Days』(2017年)に対し、今回はドラマーにピート・ソールズベリー(元ヴァーヴ)を固定した15年来の編成でギミックなしの本道を聴かせる。90年代ぶりにウェールズのロックフィールドで録音する一方、制作陣にはデヴ・ハインズ(ブラッド・オレンジ)とフレッド・マクファーソン(スペクター)を起用して聴き心地はモダンに。それでも"For The Girls"や"Glad You Grabbed Me"などはいつの録音か混乱するほどの良さ!
bounce (C)轟ひろみ