James
Girl at the End of the World
(BMG)
It seems that now more than ever, the survivors of Britpop are coming to save us from dull music with some solid guitar rock. With decades of experience, more than LPs and millions of sales beneath their belts, James have followed up 2014âs La Petite Mort with the clever, insightful Girl at the End of the World. âMy life is rich and full, so whyâd I bitch bitch bitch bitch bitch?â Coming straight out of the gate with heavy bass and jangly guitar is a risky move, but âBitchâ is such a self-aware, bombastic tune that you canât help but love James for going there. This leads into the spiky, distorted âTo My Surprise,â a catchy, defiant track that asks, âWere you just born an asshole?â Thereâs a clever callback to this on the synth-tinged âCatapultâ when frontman Tim Booth states âI was born an asshole.â Itâs this attention to detail that makes this an album rather than a collection of songs. Though the band is obviously comfortable in the rock realm, there are a few more experimental tracks as well. âAttentionâ begins with a beautiful piano riff, but as the track progresses and âaltered statesâ are mentioned, electronic elements build up to make this sound like a frantic dance song. âAlvinâ also stands out for being almost entirely in French. This is clearly the sound of a band who got back together for the love of the music rather than fan service.