James – Yummy: Review

 

 

 

James stare the issues of 2024 directly in the face.

Tim Booth has never been one to shy away from The Big Themes.

Since James‘ reformation, he and his bandmates have taken Donald Trump, populism and the devastating effects of climate change to task, most specifically on their two most recent albums, Living in Extraordinary Times (2018) and 2021’s All The Colours Of You.

Sadly, the state of the planet isn’t looking much better and thus, on this eighteenth album, the despair continues. Here, Booth finds space to ruminate on what comes next, filtered through that joyful James lens of positivity and – as always – love.

Celestial disco anthem Better With You reflects on floating alone in the world while positing that global Armageddon and the subsequent post-human regeneration of the planet would be beautiful to behold, and even better with company (‘drink in the Northern Lights as the planet reboots’). The heavenly soundscapes and Booth’s voice are excellently complemented by Chloe Alper, radiating beauty amid an apocalypse romance.

Similarly, recent single Our World rages against those who ‘stole the world’ and ‘profit today from our children’s tomorrow’, wrapped up in an ecstatic, radio-friendly anthem.

Otherwise, James stare the issues of 2024 directly in the face. On album centre-piece Shadow Of A Giant Booth acknowledges that, ‘My whole life is in lockups and hard drives, check-ins and goodbyes, diaries, dates and EasyJet flights’, while the song itself is the most unique included.

A sumptuous piece of work running at over six minutes, it takes in a haunting piano intro (provided by Jon Hopkins, a regular collaborator of producer Leo Abrahams), mournful violin and harp, and much more.

In musical (if not lyrical) contrast, the Afro-tronic Mobile God is written from the perspective of a smartphone (‘Give me your keys, your ID, your schedule, I’m with your kids’).

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String-swept opener Is This Love dissects the universal emotion in all its forms, fusing Booth’s grandiose vocals and James’ all-enveloping joy with innovative synthetics, while the one of the album’s most upbeat tracks – the gospel pop Hey – is put in contrast against lyrics of conspiracy theories (‘belief is stronger than proof’).

However, it pales in comparison to Life’s A Fucking Miracle, which features an undercurrent of dance music and Booth’s euphoric, sky-lifting vocals imploring us to ‘raise your glass’ in celebration. Its author describes it as nearly a ‘queer dance anthem’ and for that reason we should be glad he doesn’t write reviews.

He does, however, now author novels. His debut When I Died For The First Time recently hit the shelves, and Rogue is written from lead character Seth Brakes’ perspective. Defiantly anti-ageist, it features rock guitars representing the idea that while the body may wither, the mind is perpetually young: ‘I’m still mesmerised by cleavage, I won’t come to Jesus.’

The spongey Way Over Your Head uplifts in a different way, its protagonist driven to alcoholism while yearning for ‘a simpler life’ (slightly undercut by Booth’s almost comical baritone), while closing track Folks is a wonky ballad laden with cello, trumpet and evocative vocals. Once again maudlin at points (‘It’s time to go, death’s a fixture’), it nonetheless concludes James’ album on a fittingly uplifting note.

The times we live in may get ever more depressing, but not even the impending apocalypse can stop James delivering the goods on this glistening, cathartic effort.