Taking a leaf from Radiohead’s book (How To Screw Up The Music Industry), The Charlatans’ tenth studio album has already been released in its entirety as a free download from UK radio station Xfm’s website, with 80,000 takers. Unlike Radiohead, though, they’re not operating an honesty box policy. All 10 songs are free, gratis and for nothing. It’s hard to figure why anybody would bother shelling out for a physical copy. Presumably there’s a lengthy tour planned – and they’ll have some really cool t-shirts to flog.
But enough about their unusual business model. The Charlatans have always been mercurial mavericks, shifting direction from album to album over an almost 20-year career (with varying degrees of success, it must be said). Their most recent long-player, 2006’s Simpatico, was steady as she goes dub rock – stoned somewhere between vintage Stones and mid-period Dylan.
On this outing, they sound like they’ve been listening to a lot of early ‘80s new wave (New Order, Simple Minds, etc). Oh, and possibly a couple of old Doors records.
Recorded in Los Angeles, Ireland and Cheshire, and mixed by Alan Moulder, You Cross My Path is easily their best work in years. It opens with the heavy-on-the-Hammond stomping of ‘Oh! Vanity’, which sounds like a flashback to their early ‘90s baggy period. Indeed, the newly sober and drug-free Tim Burgess sounds years younger. Not to mention fresher.
From there, they’re straight into New Order territory, with an awesome trio of bass-driven tracks: ‘Bad Days’, ‘Mis-takes’ and ‘The Misbegotten’. Lyrically, Burgess seems to be biding a not so fond farewell to a friendship or relationship (“I don’t care that you dissed me/And the bust-up, it felt good”). However, he sounds like he’s enjoying killing his demons.
Things get a little darker and broodier towards the end of the record with ‘My Name Is Despair’, but ‘BIRD’ gives another nice Madchestery lift before the riffy ‘This Is The End’ closes proceedings. At less than 37 minutes, it’s short… and bittersweet.
Spirited, melodic and ballsy, this is probably their finest album since Tellin’ Stories. Really, they should have charged money for it.
Key Track: 'My Name Is Despair'