There's no way that even a rave from me could do justice to Typical Music, the new album from Tim Burgess. Out today via Bella Union, this is a spacious and epic-length masterpiece. There are more ideas here than on many of the big releases of late, with the former Charlatans leader taking risks, and swinging for the rafters. He hits them more often than he misses here on this collection, leaving a reviewer nearly flummoxed in attempting to succinctly write about what's wildly ambitious and wide-ranging.
All that being said, let's also say how concise each individual number is. There are 22 songs on Typical Music, and the record runs 90 minutes, and not once does the thing run out of steam. It helps that the mix from Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lips) makes each cut sound like something from outer space. From the peppy "Here Comes the Weekend" and on to the chirpy "Tenderhooks", Burgess blends the vibe from "Virginia Plain", "Baby's on Fire", and "Kooks" into the main style here. Part glam, I suppose, the cuts are borderline psychedelic in spots too, but it's the psychedlia of Elf Power, not The Moody Blues. The pulsing "Take Me with You" sounds like solo McCartney but it also sounds like Matthew Wilder or Christopher Cross. Yacht Rock for space pilots, but Burgess grounds this in a way, never quite letting anything get too far out, despite the trappings and keyboard noises, which are numerous.
Typical Music is structured loosely, with no one section being a peak or valley. Songs cascade into one another, and a listener's instrospective joy is shattered next by something wildly upbeat. "Don't Stay Lost", a gorgeous ballad, eases right into the Furries-ish "A Bloody Nose", in one stretch, even as the blissful, Childhood-like "View from Above" sits oddly next to "Quarter to Eight", a Lennon-ish bit of manic melodic fun. "Sure Enough", one of the early singles, gives a sense of how easily Burgess makes the hooks here ones which please enormously, as does "Magic Rising", an ELO-ish highlight here. Fans of solo records from Gruff Rhys, to use one other example, might find Tim's way with a hook familiar here, the record bearing evidence of a love of Seventies radio-friendly pop and Eighties synth-rock. Or, to put more directly in yet another way, lots of this sounds like one of those Eno vocal albums, but with Macca singing and burnishing the riffs.
Typical Music is extraordinarily entertaining. The level of invention here is nearly staggering. Wisely, Tim Burgess keeps things moving, and in such a way that even the instrumental flourishes or keyboard patterns don't distract, but feel like integral parts of the entire experiment of this record. There's not a dull moment here, and every song feels carefully composed and arranged, even as the tunes fly by at a real clip. It's nearly a breathless rush when you play this all the way through the first time. Typical Music is a real contender for record of the year, and stands at a minimum as one of 2022's most absurdly ambitious offerings.
Typical Music is out today via Bella Union.
[Photo: Cat Stevens]