Album Review: Can't Touch Us Now - Madness

While still retaining traces of the ska influences that initially propelled them into the charts in the ’80s, Madness have long since evolved into exemplars of a peculiarly English tradition of songwriting, typified by iconic bands like The Kinks and The Beatles.

Their twelfth album Can’t Touch Us Now continues the tradition, with wryly-observed sketches borne of life’s hard experience. Recorded under the watchful eyes of long-time collaborator Clive Langer and Liam Watson at Toe Rag Studios, the band turn in 16 tuneful tracks of trademark plinky-plonk piano and rasping saxophone.

As Suggs strolls the streets of Camden, his gimlet-eye takes in the heroes and villains on every corner. There’s the priggish ’Mr Apples’, furtively winging his way down the street – up to no good but sanctimoniously critical of anyone else who might be.

Later on in Soho – who’s this tottering through the puddles in pencil-skirt, stiletto heels and mascara’d eyes with “just a peek of pink La Perla bra”? It’s Amy Winehouse on a date with destiny. Or there, ducking out of the bookies, it’s ‘Pam The Hawk’ ripping up another failed betting slip: “She’d be the richest woman in all of the West End/ If every single penny earned she didn’t spend.”

If you want to know more you’ll have to buy the album. Do it – after all, we all need a bit of Madness in our lives.