Album Review - Paul Weller: Sonik Kicks

Paul Weller
Sonik Kicks
Rating: Grrrr

Paul Weller's storied career has run the gamut from the punk mod stylings of The Jam, the slick jazz/R&B/pop hybrid of The Style Council, and the varied genres he's tackled as a solo act. His solo career has had its highs (Wild Wood, Heavy Soul) and its lows (Stanley Road, Illumination), but you can never truly count him out. In the past few years Weller has had a bit of a creative Renaissance, releasing two of his most eclectic and diverse collections; the bizarre compendium of 21 tracks on the sprawling masterpiece 22 Dreams, and the relatively concise and buzzy guitar tracks of Wake Up The Nation. These two albums showed Weller still willing to experiment and challenge himself. No longer considered just a heady nostalgia act, Weller is setting the bar again for where rock and pop can go. His latest album Sonik Kicks, while not has eye opening as the previous two albums, still shows Weller has a ton of tricks under his sleeves, and is another solid album in his vast catalog.

Unlike the brisk tracks on Wake Up The Nation, Weller allows several tracks here room to breathe and meander about. And stylistically, it is all over the place, moving from the krautrock of "Green," with its insistent beat and psychedelic guitar flourishes,



gorgeous Britpop of "The Attic,"



through dub experiment "Study In Blue,"



and even to passionate acoustic numbers like "By The Waters," with Weller's still emotive and strong voice being showcased.



The striking thing about Sonik Kicks is the muscularity and pulse that flows through its 14 tracks. Weller spikes many tracks with driving beats and basslines. "Dragonfly" practically flies out of the speakers.



"Around the Lake" ricochets around the room with machine gun blasts of drums and a squalling wave of guitars and organ.



"That Dangerous Age" bobs and weaves with a Bowie-esque swagger like an updated "Golden Years."



There are relatively few missteps on Sonick Kicks. The polka on steroids of "Kling I Klang" starts in confusion and never seems to really go anywhere, and final track "Be Happy Children" is a treacly mess of a ballad that sticks out like a sore thumb.



But overall, Sonik Kicks is a surprisingly vital album for Weller, demonstrating that he is still a strong songwriter and can pump up his music to new levels when he is feeling the creative muse. Over the last three albums, his creativity has been shooting off the charts. An excellent new record, and hopefully he will continue with many more.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.