JAMES YUMMY
THE MANCUNIAN FAVOURITES RETURN TO TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO LIFE’S UNIVERSAL STRUGGLES AND PROVE ONCE MORE THAT THEY’VE GOT EMOTIVE SONGWRITING LICKED
Confused by affairs of the heart? Angered by poisonous profiteering global corporations? Perhaps the relentless march of time and the ageing process have taken the wind out of your sails. Well, James feel your pain.
And while the Manc indie rock legends might not have all the answers on their 18th studio album, they’re at least on hand to offer a consolatory arm around the shoulder.
Assembled in the band’s traditional fashion of scouring large volumes of their lengthy jams and reworking them into traditional song structures, Yummy is another quintessential James record.
Helmed by producer Leo Abrahams, who’s previously collaborated with the likes of
Brian Eno, Jarvis Cocker, Imogen Heap and Regina Spektor, the album boasts the familiar James sonic stew of organic instrumentation and subtle electronica. The new twist comes courtesy of Chloe Alper’s backing vocals, which are particularly impressive on the pretty space-themed ballad Better With You.
Yummy springs out of the starting blocks, though, with the one-two counterpunch of its swirling opener Is This Love and Life’s A Fucking Miracle. The latter, dubbed by Tim Booth as “one of the most joyful songs we’ve written in years”, more than lives up to its billing. It’s a motivational call-to-arms urging us all to make the most of every waking hour, however mundane they may seem – “If we love life, Life becomes reciprocal”.
Elsewhere, Booth mourns for our collective loss of humanity in the face of the takeover by AI and everyday tech. Written from the perspective of a cellphone no less, the coruscating Mobile God reflects: “I’m the last thing you stroke in the evening before bed/ I’m the lover you touch in the morning.../ You’re my bitches.”
Booth also muses on the unstoppable rise of globalisation in the synth-driven Our World
– a theme that James have been exploring all the way back to their Gold Mother days.
Equally spirited are Rogue and Folks, with Tim poetically railing against the dying of the light. The former finds him acknowledging his advancing years while the woozy Avalanches-like parting shot Folks sees the frontman walking a tightrope between bleakness and wilful defiance (“Folks it’s time to go/ Death’s a fixture/ Go and kiss her”).
If all else fails then at least Booth has an intergalactic escape route. Hey delves into various conspiracy theories including the existence of UFOs, a concept that the singer can fully get on board with – literally.
Meanwhile, the lurchingly rhythmic album centrepiece and six-minute epic Shadow Of A Giant is the record’s most ambitious element – and its most dizzying high. Another classic James anthem to add to their considerable canon.
Even after 40+ years in the trenches, James’ knack for hugely affecting and emotive choruses shows absolutely no sign of waning. Yummy? It’s tasty, tasty, very very tasty.