AMC sounds both pleasant and frustrating enough to be like every other Jam record I know — thin on melody, short on crunch, lyrics so inscrutably English they don’t resonate directly with a Yank but somehow seem so heartfelt you trust all PW’s observations anyhow, tempos better when they’re consistent through a song, but somehow all good enough in total to be happy listening but too flat to reach for too often.
I’ve heard most of these before and nearly all came back to me pretty quickly. The opener is good start. On Someone — I know it’s a Foxton thing but it’s weird that the bass line is the same as on Start (which I know came later but I heard first). The time signature changes don’t really make a lot of sense here; it’s almost three songs in one, which for whatever reason doesn’t work. Mr. Clean doesn’t speak to my righteous anger as it does some of you, but it’s still a strong statement and enjoyable. I agree with those who think the piano mucks up David Watts some, but also disagree with those who think it’s a weak Kinks song — I’ve always liked it. I could understand how one could detest English Rose but I’ve always really liked it. It’s so simple and sweet. Another example of this band being impossible to hate.
In the Crowd kind of grows on you — it’s particularly Who-like, more than much I can recall of theirs. Billy Hunt is meh, though the guitar rips a bit more, and I found the Cockney rhyming slang knowledge you all dropped on me helped, but it still feels like a throwaway. I’ve never cottoned to It’s Too Bad — another weird tempo change and some grating “harmony” — nor does The Fly interest me. The Place I Love is better, though more musically than lyrically. Sometimes it feels like Weller forces his lyrics into songs and this is one of those.
The closers bring some clout though. I don’t recall hearing A Bomb before but I liked it a lot — my favo(u)rite thing here if just for the great rhythm section backing — and Weller sings with some punch too. And its kind of hard to gainsay the terrific Tube Station — I’m not sure it’s their best tune, but it’s certainly one of their best lyrics — that sense of foreboding and the detailed sketch the band draws (music and lyrics) is really sharp and scary.
So while I think this sounds a lot like The Jam I know, it also sounds better than The Jam I know. I’ve always liked Setting Sons best of their records, but after repeat plays, now I think this could give it a run for the money — a little angrier, more guitary, less prententious, still a little uneven (it wouldn’t be The Jam if it weren’t), but a solid 7/10. Nice pick!
