More than 30 years after their first release, the Mancunian Brit-pop favourites have continuously evolved to remain as relevant as ever.
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Living In Extraordinary Times feel like James at their most relaxed with each other for a long time, allowing the producers Charlie and Beni to help shape and influence the songs in the way they did with Brian Eno. Unafraid to experiment and refusing to be silenced on things that matter to them, the record reflects their restless spirit more so than any they’ve created since Laid. There’s moments that will appeal to the more casual fan (and tellingly these have been chosen as the singles – Better That That, Coming Home Part 2 and Many Faces) which prove that they still have it in them to create songs of mass connection, but as always it’s where they step out of their comfort zone and try something different that they’re at their most vital. Songs like Leviathan, Extraordinary Times and Hank push the envelope and challenge the listener to immerse themselves in the way the band do themselves and explain why thirty six years in James are still surprising and delighting people.
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Throughout the record there’s an inherent intensity to every pounding drum and soaring guitar, and no song has this with quite as much shock-factor as “Hank.” While it really slow-burns its changes, there’s a brilliance to all the arrangements behind the lead parts that make it mesmerizing.
7.5/10
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The title may make reference to the utter shitshow created by the election of a spray-tanned buffoon to the office of President of the United States, but James’ interfacing with modernity goes beyond overtly political lyricism. Whereas previous James albums had a foot in the past and a reliance on the tried-and-true sounds of pop and psychedelia, Extraordinary Times updates their sound with influences from today’s festival rock circuit.
2.5/5
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James have long proven their resilience, asserting their sense of style and displaying their willingness to reinvent themselves whenever the times call for it. However, no matter how many musical revolutions they have weathered in the past decades, the music of James has long achieved its distinctive character. Living in Extraordinary Times is yet another living proof of that they are attuned with the current state of the world issues and open to new sounds associated with Alternative music but remains grounded in James’s good ol’ trademark musicality.
4/5
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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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“Sometimes sees Tim back in the crowd and the road managers face says it all, he’s terrified from the moment Tim steps on the barrier, follows his movement like a bodyguard, ensuring Tim isn’t dragged off into the crowd of sweaty, inebriated festival goers.”