The Style Council's groove and Paul Weller's general genius

I feel like I can find a general consensus when I say: The Style Council is terribly underrated. 

Paul Weller is one of those artists that needs to reinvent himself to become himself and in every stage he is god-like. Classic Gemini if I might say, only he's the better version of us all. 

In his early years we can see the natural evolution of music from the influences of some of our founding fathers The Beatles, The Small Faces and The Who. It's not a coincidence that the press renamed Paul Weller The Modfather*. 

Weller founded The Jam in 1976 in stride with punk bands of the time and gained popularity fast. They were different to the rest of punk bands though. Yeah, they made outstanding political protest songs and denounced the state of British society, racism, working class struggles and the cheek of the elites but they dressed in the 60s mod fashion with sharp suits and big hair. 

Here's a song about a man getting beaten up by some skinheads while he was waiting for the train. It's fast and loud but it has that insane almost quiet build-up to the chorus with the guitar that seems to be warning us that there is danger 'round the corner. I particularly love the writing in this as it is so full of detail. He talks of images, smells, sensations and fears in a way that brings the horrid experience to life and therefore sheds a blinding light on the problem."They smelt of pubs and Wormood Scrubs. And too many right-wing meetings":

 

That's one of the greatest things about Weller. He's always been very concious of the world he lives in and has taken an active part in making it better. He performed in Band Aid, organised fundraisers for the miners' strike, he was a key memebr of the Red Wedge** in the 1980s and has still very much maintained his morals. 

Keep in mind that already The Jam is enough to earn him a place in rock music heaven but he wanted to explore new genres and change it up so he decided to form The Style Council in 1983.  As such, the group has songs that sound very different from his previous work but even very different amongst themselves. They explored pop, soul, jazz and different R&B elements. This is my absolute favourite:

 

All of it. The horn charts, the bass, the fast happy drums, and the fun guitars. It all fits together perfectly to give us an unforgettable intro and one of those tunes that regardless of your mood, it will cheer you up. Also returning to the very important point of him being a Gemini, my ever changing moods just resonates with me in a way that makes me wonder if he's looked into my light and fickle soul. God it's good.

I want to add another just for funsies. 

 

Not a funny song though. If blistering heat in the summer had a sound it would be this song. And if heartache and defeat had a voice it would be Weller's.

But if you really want to get a little warm in the heart and teary in the eyes, Paul Weller on his own can do it. He started his solo career in 1990 after failing to release The Style Council's fifth studio album. 

For me the ballads are what stand out. If I had to top 5 my favourite songs to listen to when I'm in a broody mood, You Do Something To Me (1995) and Wild Wood (1993) would definitely be candidates for the list. Also Fly On The Wall (1992) is precious.

 

Honestly, this song has some of the most beautiful lyrics that have ever been written and it is a love song for the ages. It feels like getting pulled under by warm currents of water.

Just in case it hasn't sunk in yet, I really must reiterate that his voice just captivates me and I'm like a moth to a flame. He manages to perfectly mix the stronger and rougher parts of a rock ballad with moments of tenderness that the lyrics ask of him.  

Moving along, he also has more rock stuff in his solo years and I particularly like The Changingman (1995) and the excellent cover version from the same year of Mac Rebennack's Walk on Guilded Splinters (1967) (which appears in The Wire at one point and I almost had a fit). These two songs are both part of the great album Stanley Road. 

Maybe it's because I've been listening to his voice since I have memory (my dad is a massive fan of The Jam, my mum loves The Style Council and they both love his solo stuff), but I feel like Paul Weller has a special warmth to him that just adds to his ridiculous talent and charisma. 

At age 65 he's still as handsome as ever and going strong, having released an album last year (Will Of The People). I bow down to The Modfther, long may he continue being a music genius. 

*It's a little play on words regarding Mod culture. It was a late 50s and early 60s subculture movement in the UK. Sharp suits, big hair, corker miniskirts and bangs,  Lambrettas motorbikes, The Animals, The Kinks, The Zombies, a bit of jazz and a bit of motown. Watch Quadrophenia if you're curious. 

**The Red Wedge was a leftie group formed by musicians and actors in the 1980s to try to promote social policies and protest against injustice (very focused on the fight against racism). They backed the Labour Party of the time. Bands and artists involved were The Style Council, Billy Bragg and The Communards among others.  

Theophilus London's new album will be the death of me

Theophilus London is back. 

He just released his new album without bringing out singles as a warning, so naturally it hit me like an Eddie Stobart in the chest.

Like a more accesible Dean Blunt, Theophilus London is always on the edge of mainstream and never stops innovating with sound. Never forget he was the producer of Kanye West's Donda2 and he's collaborated with the indie likes of Tame Impala and Ariel Pink. His 2020 album Bebey is a no-skip LP and I am yet to find a better feelgood song than Cuba. The album also included a second collaboration with Kevin Parker which was an excellent cover version of classic disco boogie track Only You, originally released in 1984 by Nigerian artist Steve Monite.

The new album is called TL with proper G vibes and it is tragically a very short 39 minute work. Here is the preview.

It opens with Send It Down and a recognisable reverbed piano that we've heard before in Currents (2015) and once again in Bebey (2020). It also includes a series of autotuned harmonies sung by himself making it seem like there is a choir of Theophilus Londons in the background. 

He ramps up the soul and the autotune in Not Yourself, following in the steps of Lil Yachty and his Let's Start Here. (2023). Both artists seem to drink from each other as their sounds swirl and mix. They have a couple of collaborations together that are as the young kids say, absolute fire. The second tune of London's album is a beautiful sunny thing. 

Remember two paragraphs ago when I said I hadn't found something as feelgood as Cuba? Well the third track of the album is a strong contender. Awaken should be called Try Not To Dance And Fail. It is so groovy, it gets under your bones and forces you to sway to the bassline. It has a little Jungle to it, especially when the female backing vocals come into play. Insanely sexy. 

Hi Baby brings the weirdness and the funk but keeps the sexy going. It is composed of a series of dirty sounds that carry around a bit of a James Brown attitude but transported to this day and age. We have the choir of Theophilus London back for this one and they are not asking us to join them on the dancefloor anymore, they've grabbed us by the arm and are pulling us there. 

WUSA has a more relaxed energy and shows us the rapper side of the artist. We are enveloped by a happy piano that for some reason reminds me of the Hotline Bling instrumental. It was all going well until 8 minutes had passed and he was still going. I had to go back to Spotify to check if it had switched songs without me noticing but no. It is a 14 minute giant. I mean, it's good, I like it, but maybe not 14 minutes of it, especially since it is there are no ups and downs, it's quite linear. 

It switches to a darker vibe all of a sudden, rapping in the wee hours of the night would be my description of it. Chakra has a very indigo blue atmosphere to it. One of my favourites if I'm honest and definitely one of those driving at night tracks to rap along to in a car. 

Top 1 track of the album without a doubt is Heat Rock. The instrumental is captivating and so rich and warm that it's impossible not to enjoy. He spices it all up with his verses and brings the sexy back into the album big time. Theophilus London choir is also back but this time they do pseudo-reggae backing vocals that are just a joy to sing along to. It's one of those songs that I know will make the yearly list without even having finished it. Looping the crap out of this one for sure. 

And here comes the important bit. The closer. It's all anybody is going to remember when they finish the album on their first listen. To The Stars takes a little while to kick off and once again he plays around with his voice. We have a distorted deep Theophilus, OG Theophilus, the choir of Theophilus, high-pitched Theophilus and just another sexy groovy bassline. It's the cocktail bar version of a BROCKHAMPTON song. So, therefore, the coolest ending an album can ask for. 

One of the best albums of 2023 so far. It will be the death of me.