Billed as Tim Booth's masterpiece of sarcastic spite and rapier wit, the latest James release sounds as fresh and vital as the
other 798 singles they have delighted us with in the last five years.
From atop a surging wave of warm orchestral melody, the loon-dancing karma comedian directs a volley of poison-tipped verbal darts at, erm, somebody who quite clearly isn't as great as they think they are. Himself, perhaps? Singing with breathy restraint for once, Booth sounds less smug than normal on a lyrical trifle which calls to mind his former mentor Morrissey in one of his 'The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get' moods.
Defiant on the surface, then, but tired beneath.
Stephen Dalton
8
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