We are indeed living in the most unfortunate of extraordinary times and it shows in James’ most intense album of recent years.
3.5/5
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People have been declaring the death of the album now for more than 20 years and yet it stubbornly remains, maybe because of the older buying demographic who’ve fuelled vinyl’s renaissance, but partly because experiences like that served up on We Live In Extraordinary Times are what the long playing format was made for. Veterans cleverly using its breadth and contours to send listeners on an old fashioned journey, Tim Booth and co. have made the case for a type of listening this century has all but condemned to nothingness.
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The album a fusion of social commentary and personal reflection, covering everything from the current political climate in America in the frustration-charged ‘Hank’ or the powerful ‘Heads’ will make you sit up and listen. Not to be ignored on any level Living In Extraordinary Times takes you on an audible journey across twelve emotive and passionate tracks that hold nothing back.
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As one of the UK’s most expressive and creative bands, it should come as no surprise yet another writer sings their praises, just a little staggered at James versatility, energy and quality in 2018, another chapter, hope there is so much more to enjoy in years to come. Another statement, as if it was needed.
8.4/10
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Many Faces is, if such a thing exists, classic James. Scrap that. Classic James doesn’t exist. They are a band who have constantly sought out new sounds, new ideas and new ways of being…James.
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If James were a man, they would be married, mortgaged up and due a mid-life crisis any time now. Aged 36, they’ve been around the block and back again. Through it all, they have retained an underdog status, loitering on the fringes of passing fads and scenes. If James have proved too awkward for canonisation, they have at least avoided being date-stamped. Increasingly, it seems like a smart trade-off.
4/5
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Yes, ladies and gentlemen, James are sitting next to you once again with their new studio album, Living In Extraordinary Times. And there is seemingly no let-up in their incredible music making.
5/5
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We could argue that with the anger and frustration that’s being vented, it’s as though as they get older, James is channelling the spirit of punk, subverting expectations and forever doing everything on their own terms. The prominence of the percussion elevates this from the both what the band has done in the past and what most other bands are doing now, and Glennie’s bass is certainly getting stronger and infectious, adding even more to the grand sound and the impressive production of Charlie Andrews (Wolf Alice) and Beni Giles. Living in Extraordinary Times is a challenging album that may divide hard-core fans but will certainly stand the test of time.
8/10
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James have revealed the video for Coming Home Pt 2, the latest single to be taken from their forthcoming 15th studio album Living In Extraordinary Times, due for release on August 3rd. The video was filmed “on zero budget” in California by Tim’s long-time friend, director Leif Tilden.
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Hank is the final track to be revealed from James’ upcoming Better Than That EP, to be released on May 18 to coincide with a run of seven intimate shows to preview their fifteenth album due in July and two festival appearances. It’s a scathing attack on Donald Trump and US society under his presidency and also represents a sonic departure for the band.
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Our review of the EP describes the track “A heartfelt assessment of someone impacted by “suicidal, cancer, loss of child, betrayal, deceit”, it’s a song full of empathy, both in the lyrics and Tim’s voice, that succeeds through the emotional warmth of the words and the soothing tone of the music that perfectly complements it. It resists the urge to take off and go off in many directions like Better Than That or Hank, but it doesn’t need to.”
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The Better Than That EP whets the appetite for a record that will be mostly full of songs that haven’t been heard by the fan base, as most of the songs previewed last summer have fallen by the wayside. It suggests that James are still searching for new ways to challenge themselves and us, their audience, by experimenting, refusing to let songs simply stagnate or follow a traditional structure. They’re still angry at the world, unafraid to comment and unprepared to compromise, yet can still also pull off those yearning beautiful songs they’ve mastered over the years.
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