by Raquel Pinheiro
The Age of Everything, Johnny Marr’s fifth solo studio album came out a week ago.
It’s the first album in a very long time I felt like writing about. Even more surprising, because it’s the first of Johnny’s solo albums I fully click and resonate with.
I danced to it from beginning to end. Sang along to it. Picked up the guitar and strummed something out of pure joy. Played air drums again.
The Age of Everything made me to want to write pop, catchy songs and have a band again.
I like everything on the album. The music, the voice, the production, the mix, the lyrics, the backing vocals – they are absolutely stunning – the cover, the fact that if not all, many or most of the guitars Johnny plays were gone on his Christie’s auction held September 17.
I like that as Johnny put it “Sharp, fast and dynamic, filled with ideas and possibilities.” Particularly the full of possibilities part.
The songs on The Age Of Everything were written in London – you can feel the city bursting through them – developed on the road on tour on the East Coast of North America – there’s a certain East Coast flavour too – and recorded in Manchester at Crazy Face Factory – Johnny’s custom build studio and creative space.
The Age Of Everything is a fresh, danceable, guitar driven with great drums and bass, elegant, pop album with a big sound. Not exactly a wall of sound, more of an expansive fell-good vibe of sound.
There are very audible guitar nudges and lines to Johnny’s trademark guitar playing in The Smiths. Particularly in It’s Time, Ophelia, In And Out of Love, But they are layered with other guitars, and instruments transforming them into their own thing.
My favourite song from the album is the final one, All in a Life.
I deliberately wanted my words about The Age of Everything to be published after the official release. I wanted to let it wrap me, feel it, absorb it. Give it time. The Age of Everything is not an album for a day, or week, or a month. I suspect it’s an album I will be returning to often.
Which fits the idea behind the album, that in the age of everything is immediately available. Which can be overwhelming, and asking for an immediate response. There’s endless benefits of technology, but there’s also value in taking our time.
The Age of Everything
Tracklist:
1. Spin
2. Beyond the Rain
3. It’s Time
4. How Come
5. Ophelia
6. That Feeling
7. In and Out of Love
8. Just Once More
9. Fire with Fire
10. All in a Life
Personnel:
Johnny Marr: vocals, guitars, songwriting, production
James Doviak,: guitar, keyboards, co-writing, production
Iwan Gronow: bass
Jack Mitchell: drums
Meredith Sheldon: backing vocals
Nile Marr: backing vocals
Claudius Mittendorfer: mix
Frank Arkwright: mastering
Recorded at Crazy Face Factory, Manchester; and Mastered at Abbey Road Studios, London.
The Age of Everything is released by
New Voodoo Limited/BMG
