The Charlatans - modern nature

Back into 2015 with The Charlatans latest album. Its a long time since "Some friendly", much water has flowed under the bridge since then. But you can still hear elements of the core Charlatans sound in this wonderful album. There is still a "Madchester-esque" beat at times, and plenty of psychedelic organ but there is also a mature and stylish groove underpinning a lot of "Modern nature".

Stand out track is "Come home baby", a simple yet moving song with an irresistible beat, dancey but slow enough for old farts to keep up to. Hey we all get older. "Let the good times be never ending" is another highlight, it rollicks along superbly with dancey and bluesy notes in abundance. The spacey "Talking in tones" is an emotional opener, this album coming after the sad death of founding member Jon Brookes.

The album has no shortage of highlights. Some reviewers have said its their best album to date but thats a too easy cliche to write and can only really be said in the future after the dust has settled a bit. But lets say its one of their best albums, an album of brilliant pop songs by a band on top of their game. Still.