The psychedelic sounds of The Charlatans are back in force with a new album and meaty tour schedule. Their sixth album will, if recent history is anything to go by, be flying off the shelves and up the charts. They have an optimistic folk sound about them, mixing it in with the old fashioned indie, the floaty West Coast vocals, and twanging guitars. This album is not an attention grabber though; it may grow on you but I doubt it will be blowing you away any time soon.
‘Feel The Pressure’ stands out for me – it is funked up and energised in comparison to the laid back sounds of the rest of the ‘Up At The Lake’. This isn’t surprising when you realise that the Chemical Brothers were brought in to produce it (incidentally, we can look forward to a Charlatan or two appearing on the next Chemicals album). Coming a close second is the whirling guitars in the more rock and roll track ‘Apples And Oranges’, which provides a much needed kick to the end of the album.
The Charlatans are on tour; catch them at one of the following dates –
Book tickets through ticketmaster.co.uk
May 2004
- 22 Keele University
- 23 Aberdeen Music Hall
- 24 Glasgow Academy
- 25 Glasgow Academy
- 27 Manchester Carling Apollo
- 28 Manchester Carling Apollo
- 29 Liverpool University
- 31 Leicester De Montfort Hall
June 2004
- 01 Nottingham Rock City
- 03 Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall
- 04 London Carling Apollo Hammersmith
- 05 Brighton Dome
- 06 Bristol Carling Academy
- 08 Newcastle Northumbria Uni
- 09 Doncaster Dome
- 10 Birmingham Carling Academy
- 11 Newport Centre
- 13 Isle Of Wight Festival www.isleofwightfestival.com
- 20 Fleadh Festival, Finsbury Park, London
July 2004
- 17 Dragon Festival, Oporto Dragon Stadium, Portugal
August 2004
- 5-8 Benicassim Festival
- 21 V Festival, Hylands Park, Chelmsford
- 22 V Festival, Weston Park, Staffordshire
Book tickets through ticketmaster.co.uk
Label : Universal/Island
Release Date : 17 May 2004
Website : www.thecharlatans.net
Tracklisting
- Up At The Lake
- Feel The Pressure
- As I Watch You In Disbelief
- Cry Yourself To Sleep
- Bona Fide Treasure
- High Up Your Tree
- Blue For You
- I’ll Sing A Hymn (You Came To Me)
- Loving You Is Easy
- Try Again Today
- Apples And Oranges
- Dead Love
Buy The Chalatans CDs from Amazon