Having celebrated three full decades in music several years ago, as well as notching up his tenth solo studio album 'Wake Up The Nation' only last year, it could be expected that even Paul Weller would be churning out the type of guitar rock music that could easily transcend to live shows, keeping his long built fan base comfortable. It’s entirely to Weller’s credit that for his latest release, ‘Sonik Kicks’, he has gone in almost every direction but the straight-forward.
Having always shown an ear for something a little different, most notably with 2008’s ’22 Dreams’, 'Sonik Kicks is perhaps the most daring record Weller has produced yet. It’s an aural adventure of textures, sounds and effects never before experienced from ‘The Modfather’ and the type of album that provides new surprises and treats on every listen.
Album opener ‘Green’ makes an immediate statement of intent blasting you with layers of sound, spoken word, feedback and wah-wah pedals all fighting for your attention over a groove that hooks you from the first listen. A glorious soundscape, it swoops in and out and, when listened to through headphones, it’s actually quite disorientating.
This is typical of the record as a whole. You get the impression that Weller found a bunch of new toys in a studio and went at them like a child at Christmas wanting to use everything all at once for fear of them being taken away. What’s remarkable is that his skills as a musician mean that no song sounds confused or disjointed at any point despite the almost hectic pace.
‘Kling I Klang’, ‘Drifters’ and lead single ‘This Dangerous Age’ all demonstrate the same dance inspired influences and there’s a similar feel to some of Kasabian's work here with dub beats blended seamlessly with Weller’s distinctive vocal. ‘The Attic’ has the sound of a ‘Stanley Road’ era track sped up and given extra punch, while ‘Around The Lake’ has a swirling psychedelic background which locks you in and refuses to let you escape.
‘Study In Blue’ is the longest track on the album at 6:37, one of only two tracks that clock in over 3:40. After starting off as a duet with a light jazzy beat, ‘Study In Blue’ breaks around the halfway point into an instrumental that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Groove Armada record.
This is an album difficult to describe in words because of the volume of styles crammed into its 14 tracks. It jumps from dance to jazz to rock to folk stopping everywhere in between. Its brilliance is in its variety but this also provides the only negative I can find. Each song is excellent in its own way, with ‘Green’, ‘Around The Lake’ and ‘Kling I Klang’ being among the best and most innovative pieces Weller’s ever created.
My only complaint, and it is a nit-picking type complaint, is it doesn’t quite feel like a complete record, more of a collection of single masterpieces. However, every song sounds better each time you listen and Weller deserves tremendous praise for his bravery in releasing an album like this. It's brilliance is in it's innovation and I wholeheartedly recommend this for both die-hard fans and newcomers to Weller's music. There really is something in this album for even the most hardcore Weller critics.
'Sonik Kicks' is released on 19th March. Paul Weller will be performing the album in full at The Roundhouse for five nights between 18th-22nd March.
Sun March 18th 2012 - Roundhouse, London
Mon March 19th 2012 - Roundhouse, London
Tue March 20th 2012 - Roundhouse, London
Wed March 21st 2012 - The Roundhouse, London
Thu March 22nd 2012 - Roundhouse, London
Sun June 24th 2012 - Jodrell Bank, Cheshire
Thu July 12th 2012 - Henham Park, Southwold
Sun July 15th 2012 - Henham Park, Southwold
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Having always shown an ear for something a little different, most notably with 2008’s ’22 Dreams’, 'Sonik Kicks is perhaps the most daring record Weller has produced yet. It’s an aural adventure of textures, sounds and effects never before experienced from ‘The Modfather’ and the type of album that provides new surprises and treats on every listen.
