These Are The Days

This pair of songs came out while I was away last week and I've been catching up in the last few days. First is a new one from The Charlatans, one of two new songs they performed at Manchester's Castlefield Bowl recently alongside a set of hits and favourites. We Are Love has the band in sunny side up mode, all warm organ chords, Johnny Marr-esque guitar picking and Tim being anthemic and euphoric, 'this is the place, these are the days'. 

An album of the same name is coming out in October. The band went back to Rockfield in Wales to record it, a studio with some deep memories for the group- organist and founder member Rob Collins died there on 21st July 1997, twenty eight years ago yesterday, while they were recording Tellin' Stories. Going back to go forward. That this group, thirty five years old are still so enthused about making new music and still with the fire in their bones after all this time is clearly a good thing.

Of a similar vintage are The Orb who also released a new track last week ahead of a new album. The single is Arabebonics, five minutes of kaleidoscopic ambient house/ North African fusion with a rap from Rrome Alone. 

The Orb and various Orb side projects (Sedibus, OSS) have been in fine form over the last few years and many of the people who helped Alex on those albums are here on the new one, Buddhist Hipsters- Andy Falconer from Sedibus along with Youth, Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy and Roger Eno. Hopefully Buddhist Hipsters will be an album that stands alongside Abolition of The Royal Familia, Enter The Kettle, Seti and The Heavens. 

This would seem to be the ideal point in time for an Orb remix of The Charlatans wouldn't it?