September 27, 2009
Six solo albums in, and the reasons for that reunion appear to be getting ever fewer
Photo Gallery: Ian Brown
8 / 10
While we’ll most likely be denied ever hearing the man saying, “Fookin’ Space Hoppers, right, they were magic” on one of those I Love... programmes that the BBC make to fill up their Sunday night scheduling, you have to admire Ian Brown’s aversion to nostalgia.
A lesser man would have reformed The Stone Roses by now (you could buy a fuckload of cagoules with the money they must have been offered) and it’s refreshing, in an age when everyone from the Pixies to The Wonder Stuff can’t resist scratching an itch, that Brown’s pride and sense of self is more committed to looking forward than back. What’s that? He plays ‘Waterfall’ live? Well, I bet you would too if you’d written it...
The story goes that this new record was conceived after Brown had just come out from a binge on Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’. He says that record was his “blueprint”. That “every time we wrote a song we didn’t think was strong enough, we scrapped it”. You can tell as much too – it’s an extraordinarily strong collection of music, with some sussed sonic touches that suggest Brown is striving for an indie-pop appropriation of what Timbaland routinely does to R&B records.
Once again, it’s that kind of arrogance that sets Brown apart from the pack – who else would name their record after the most grandiose vocal standard ever conceived? And you can tell the man is an old punk too – there may be limits to his vocal reach, his technical ability even. But there’s little give point on his own imagination.
Highlights include his take on ‘In The Year 2525 (Exordium And Terminus)’, which is bizarre, but also perfectly suited. Or the record’s big weepie ‘Always Remember Me’, which sounds more unrestrained in its soppiness than you might ever recall the man being before. Yet it’s the strut of opener and lead-off single ‘Stellify’ that burns brightest, a close second being the 3am gonzo electroclash of ‘Own Brain’ (it’s an anagram of his own name, don’t you know?). All of which suggests this: if you’re holding out for a Roses reunion too, then you’re missing a trick; forged over 10 years of solo records, given finesse with his sixth release, Brown has become the UK’s most consistently entertaining and often innovative solo artist. Would you really give that up to hear him bellow ‘Daybreak’ in a field?
James McMahon
What do you think of the album? Let us know by posting a comment below.
Click here to read Uncut's review of this album.
Click here to get your copy of Ian Brown's 'My Way' from the Rough Trade shop.
10
NEW! For the latest music videos and backstage interviews, check out our brand new sister site, NME Video.
Video: Ian Brown New Video 'Stellify'
"The Soul Jazz label offers a 2xCD compilation of early-70s soul and funk from films with tracks by Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Quincy Jones, and more. Because it's such a wide-ranging collection for its size, this box tells a thorough story just through the names on the back. You have stars at..."
"Brown’s finest since 1998’s solo bow, Unfinished Monkey Business."
You may need to upgrade your Flash Player
You can download the latest flash plugin here.
If you have installed flash but keep getting this message:
1. Try to bypass flash plugin detection here.
2. Ensure you have javascript enabled in your browser.
3. Try using Firefox
Listen to more Free Music at we7.com
Comments do not always reflect the views of NME, or IPC Media, for guidelines visit our Ts & Cs page