Paul Weller Does It Again, But Differently
By Casey Moffitt in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 15, 2015 4:00PM
photo credit: Julian Broad
Paul Weller has always been a bit restless—his style has been in constant evolution. So we're really interested in seeing what he brings to The Vic Wednesday night. If his new album gives us any hints, then it's going to be something really exciting.
Weller has spent nearly 40 years making music, beginning as the frontman for The Jam back in 1977. He left the band at the height of its popularity in 1982 to start The Style Council, a neo-soul act. After riding out that act he broke out on his own, and released his 12th solo effort, Saturns Pattern, last month.
It's an eclectic collection of songs that takes us on a wild journey. It's pretty representative of Weller's restlessness and want to look in new directions, yet it's also telling us that Weller is really comfortable in the position he is artistically. It's as if he feels he can write without restraints and he's takes every advantage of it on this album.
The opener, "White Sky," kicks off with a dirty, bluesy guitar lick and visceral drum beat that starts to be accompanied with outer space noises, layers of guitars and keyboards. What starts off as a pretty straightforward rock song continues to grow and evolve into a gigantic mass of a finely crafted experiment.
Those outer space noises, layers of guitars and keyboard lines continue throughout the whole album, giving Weller's material a new edge and a different sound. Those elements are one of the few constants in Saturns Pattern.
Weller explores a funk beat in "Pick It Up," moves to a rather Beatnik feel in "Phoenix" and wanders into his punk roots a bit with the driving "Long Time."
Despite these shifts in styles, another constant in Saturns Pattern is Weller's attention to creating good melodies and interesting rhythms. These elements have been a constant throughout Weller's career and it's what has helped him maintain a steady output of quality material for so long. If you have good melodies and rhythms, you can do just about anything you want. It's also why all the extraneous outer space sounds and layers of instrumentation work on Saturns Pattern. Without those great melodies and steady rhythms, they would be rather distracting. Although there is so much going on in these songs, they are well arranged and the basic elements of the music - that is the melodies and the rhythms - keep the songs grounded.
Although Weller has been at this gig for close to 40 years (he just turned 57-years-old), he gives us hints throughout Saturns Pattern that he believes he's got more to give. There are two tracks in particular that gives us a good sense as to what Weller is thinking as he contemplates his career and future.
In "I'm Where I Should Be," he sings "I really don't get anxious/ I leave it up to fate/ Our lives are so at random/ It really don't make sense." He's giving us a sense that he understands there are only so many things in his control and that's where he wants to keep his focus.
Also in "These City Streets," we hear Weller revisiting the old neighborhoods where he cut his teeth. They've changed, they've evolved. Weller doesn't look at this in contempt or sorrow, but rather these places maintain the wonder and excitement they gave him so many years ago. It works as a metaphor for his career. It's changed and evolved, and yet it's still an exciting place to explore.
Paul Weller performs Wednesday, June 17, at The Vic Theater, 3145 N. Sheffield, 8 p.m., $42 advance, $45 at the door, 18+