Working class hero, ex lead singer of Jem, the creator of few truly idiosyncratic records. On his latest album, Paul Weller continues to create new sounds in technicolor. He is young at heart and Saturn’s Pattern sounds just like something young people would enjoy to listen when they are making out in the backseat of a car during the night when nebulas are created in the universe.
Saturn’s Pattern is energetic, extrovert record of a guy from the hood who is trying to teach next generation how to pull of some awesome tricks on the street. Yes, he has many tricks and he is not afraid to use them. He shouldn’t be. Diversions, synths, back vocals and powerful rhythms converge into a potent, unpredictable mix that sounds the best when you are listening it for the very first time.
Album starts with explosive blues White Sky. Weller sounds like he doesn’t care about his health so he goes hard on his voice cords while his drummer is playing like he is torturing his drums. In a good way. Alterized vocal produces an intriguing sound tapestry that is going to tickle the listener for enough time before he realizes there is nothing essential Weller has to say there. Still, it is easy to enjoy in dispersion of different audio journeys evoking Led Zeppelin and other rock legends.
White Sky prepares you for the rest of the album. Saturn’s Pattern is like continuum taking you from the noise to the softer themes like beach boy’s alike Going My Way. I’m Where I Should Be and Phoenix are solid pop numbers with classic structure and few electronic effects. Nothing to be ashamed for there. These City Streets is a convenient closure for this 45 mins of interesting moments.
No matter how extravagant and exploding sound this album brings us, it is never going to shine like 22 dreams or Sonik Kicks.
