The Charlatans UK

Half of every mention of the The Charlatans over the past few years has seemed to indicate that the band has been enjoying a charmed (and nearly decade-long, by now) second coming. Seasoned songcraft, the overcoming of in-band adversity, and a renewed vigor are all hallmarks of critics' suggestions that the band has returned to form.

What's important to recall, though, is that the band was marginally talented the first time around, a trendy London response to the hedonism of Manchester circa-1990. It's been a bumpy road ever since the band reached its critical peak with 1997's Tellin' Stories, with each new album curiously still amazing critics with unforeseen levels of stability and complexity. But the fact that a band has overcome death and incarceration of its members -- not to mention an early penchant for fluffy and fashionable song-writing -- doesn't necessarily make for good art.

The limp rock-reggae of "For Your Entertainment," "City of the Dead," and "The Architect," all of which sadly bring to mind a nodding Sublime, should be enough to put anyone off this album. But for all the lame melodies found up front, many of the supporting arrangements are actually very decent. Behind half of these cheesy guitar leads and vapid vocals, there is a piano countermelody ("Blackened Blue Eyes" in particular) or keyboard texture ("Road to Paradise") that adds weight to the track. Welcome piano lines even take a decisive lead in a couple of tracks, notably "Muddy Ground." Inventive (or at least various) percussive elements lend substance to the intros to both "NYC" and "Dead Man's Eye," giving otherwise throwaway tracks a bit of life support. The album even ends on a bit of a high note, with the melancholy "Glory Glory" reaching a subtle height of restrained songwriting. And "Sunset & Vine" is actually a sophisticated and slick electronica take on dub, which almost makes you forgive the albums earlier rock-reggae blunders. Almost. There's no getting around how uninspired most of these songs are, but many are dressed quite nicely, making them just about listenable. -- Cory O'Malley

Sixteen years into their career and the Charlatans UK are roughly at the same place the Rolling Stones were at the same point in their career -- not in terms of popularity, of course (the Charlatans have never had anything approaching a hit in the U.S.), but in musical terms. Which is a roundabout way of saying that their ninth studio album, Simpatico, is the Charlatans' version of the Stones' Emotional Rescue: it's a groove-centric rock album, heavy on disco and reggae rhythms, where the overall vibe is more important than the individual songs. Not that the quintet's sense of craftsmanship has abandoned them -- the opening "Blackened Blue Eyes" is as confident, muscular, and memorable as anything from their 1997 high-water mark, Tellin' Stories -- but they've made a conscious decision to emphasize groove and group interaction on Simpatico, and the move pays off to a certain extent at least. They haven't sounded this limber or danceable since the heyday of Madchester, and they've lost many of the period affectations that date their early records; they're now a lean, sinewy rock band and nowhere is that more evident than in the relaxed, natural rhythmic interplay on this record, which is the reason why Simpatico works as a party record, or stylish background music. At close listening, it's not as compelling, which is all due to the emphasis of sound over song. While that may frustrate some listeners, Simpatico works well on its own terms and is proof that the now-veteran Charlatans UK are building a reliably entertaining body of work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide