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Weller spits the lyrics out with urgency and vigour, bemoaning a friend’s apathy – “why you got your head in the clouds?” he asks, as his furious guitar works its magicĪ similar theme of railing against inaction is continued in Paper Smile (“what’s in a life if you don’t live it?” as the opening line goes), and even more so in Come On/Let’s Go, which brings to mind classic moments like Going Underground. It’s the former material that works brilliantly here, with opening track Blink And You’ll Miss It grabbing the listener from the scruff of the neck from the opening chord.
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So there’s the brittle guitar pop of Come On/Let’s Go which recalls The Jam, the pastoral, laid back vibe of Wild Wood in All On A Misty Morning and even the ghost of the Style Council is resurrected in Bring Back The Funk. It’s an album that sees him refocused, reinvigorated and projecting a real sense of purpose.Īs Is Now sees Weller revisiting various points of his varied career and updating them.
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So As Is Now sees the man back with a point to prove – and long term fans of Weller will know this is when he’s at his best. Last year’s covers album, Studio 150, was a well-meaning experiment that fell flat on its face and people began to wonder whether Weller’s fire really has gone out for good this time. Although albums such as Heavy Soul had their moments, there was something that suggested Weller was coasting somewhat. Now, over a decade after Wild Wood, Weller finds himself again the subject of carping from snide critics. Intended as a riposte to his critics who had long written him off as an irrelevancy, it was the highlight of a blistering return to form that saw Weller once again widely respected. When Paul Weller released what’s generally thought to be his best album, Wild Wood, there was a track there called Has My Fire Really Gone Out?.