SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CHARLATANS UK – WE ARE LOVE

CHARLATANS UK
WE ARE LOVE
BMG

The latest in a series of 90s indie bands making new material, Charlatans UK open We Are Love by sounding like they’ve gone in a similar direction to The Farm, with “Kingdom of Ours” a suitably-trippy and psychedelic opener. There’s odd little bits of that experimentation sprinkled throughout the album, and it’s a solid, well-produced sound that results.

Eventually, the more standard indie fare, highlighted by clever hooks and catchy lyrics, takes hold, with the title track, “We Are Love,” a particular highlight. The album maintains a pretty solid level throughout, although one of the highlights, “You Can’t Push the River,” has to regain the album’s momentum after the bizarre “For the Girls,”which feels both bizarrely laddish and a strange pastiche, and sits jarringly in this otherwise pleasing listen.

Perhaps its finest moments come late, with the choppy groove of “Out on Our Own” and the grandiosity of the closing track “Glad You Grabbed Me” leaving a smile on the listeners face. Overall, title track aside (which might be enough to drive people to purchase the album alone), it’s certainly no disgrace, but it lacks any real memorable moments outside of it, lacking that one solid ‘wow’ moment that pulls a listener in. Overall, a good-not-great effort, particularly when viewed in the lens of its compatriots.

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