and so eventually a review of the first vibes release of the year, look you see. one which is highly likely to carry the "day of release" title, for as the adventures and mishaps in trying to purchase it on the day of release illustrated that my way of doing things seems to be now at an end.
well, anyway, let us, me, move on. the subject here is indeed the splendid and exciting news that Ian Brown has returned as a solo artist, and blessed us simple acolytes and advocates of his music with an entirely new album. Ripples, is what the record is called, and i was indeed able to hear it in its entirety on its day of release due to me having the foresight to order the limited edition tape version off of his official store.
sure, yes, i could have bought a download, obtained a download or "streamed" it legally. but no, i want to hold, to touch, to feel the music i listen to; it is not meant to be some casual, convenient background thing.
is it any good? yes, yes it is. of course i have a heavy level of bias and i am going to say that, to be sure. but this is really, really very good. this is something i think i have pretty much covered in reporting of the 40% of the album i had heard prior to today, the (delivered) day of release. for those interested, the four "singles" released ahead of the album were but are First World Problems, Black Roses, From Chaos To Harmony and the titular or if you like title track Ripples.
what does the rest of the album have to offer, then? quite a lot more of the same as those four songs, in truth. and blessed be us, the audience, for it. a prevailing theme for you would be the "trippy hippy funkadelic psychedelia" of those singles, with Ian's passion for reggae never all that far away from the ceremonial proceedings.
any outstanding moments beyond the four singles i seem to all of a sudden keep referencing? indeed. one called The Dream And The Dreamer is, after a couple of listens, close to being my clear favourite off of the album.
weakest track, in some sort of futile attempt to try and make this seem like a balanced, objective review? i would have to call out Breathe And Breathe Easy on that score. it's an ok song, being as it is the kind of breezy, whimsical acoustic number so popular with advertisers these days. my only real quarrel or issue with it is that i found myself thinking "he is sounding, or trying to sound, like he is doing something what Liam Gallagher would do here". now, yes, i like Liam a very great deal indeed, but i momentarily forgot that it's rather the case that Liam has being trying to sound like Ian for north of 20 years. that i sinned with a single misplaced thought of a reversal of this fortune troubles me.
yes, i know that we, the people are not supposed to actually play these "limited edition" cassettes which artists sell from time to time. the plan, as far as i can tell, is to purchase them, leave them sealed, then list them on ebay or similar for vastly inflated prices. not my way, i am afraid. when i buy music it is not for the resale or profit value, it is because i want to play it to hear it, to own it to love it.
the elephant in the room? of course. there is absolutely no way that this album could have been released under the name of The Stone Roses. outside of my idea, my dream, my ambition and my passion that one year we get Christmas With The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses, there is absolutely no record they could ever release. a ludicrous weight of expectation would await any such release, one that not even they, the beautiful, magnificent b@stards they are, could overcome. Ian Brown has always done whatever the hell it takes the fancy of Ian Brown to do, and what comes out in his name is forever going to be accepted as such.
also, it's a personal record on every level you can think of. he and his family alone appear on the record, and the album is dedicated to the memory of his sister, who sadly left this world a couple of years ago. as such, we can take it as a given that he's giving us his thoughts, his moods, his thinking, but there is absolutely no way he is going to spell it all out for anyone explicitly.
but what is he hinting at? that he's all about peace, harmony, a nice quiet life and everyone just all getting along. without any interviews being given by the man himself, it's quite tricky to interpret From Chaos To Harmony in particular as an indication that The Stone Roses are at an end, once more. lacking, however, is the venom and anger on that subject which graced Unfinished Monkey Business some 20 (!!) years ago. you never know what the future may bring, but it would seem Ian Brown is going to ensure that the future brings absolutely nothing which curves negatives waves around his chilled, harmonic vibe trip of a life any more.
yes, absolutely, you should own this album. if you can work out a way to buy it. unless something dramatic happens with HMV, i guess i should stop trying to fight the future. with no filtered news sources and a reluctance to rely on the echo chamber of social media for announcements, i guess from here on out i am going to have to hear about future vibes that i might like by chance or accident, and find a way to order the album for delivery rather than go and buy it. how sad, but how it is.
who is and who isn't.
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