It seems that building up, slowing down and building up again is a theme on this record and you just know that it will sound great live. Old Father Tyme then follows and doesn’t disappoint, it’s a real finger snapper from the very start with Paul Weller presenting a rougher voice and slightly more varied melody. It may seem to be more of a simple track but after opening with Mirror Ball, the album does need settling down. Piano closes the opener and it leads into Baptiste perfectly… what a transition! This is one for the traditionalists and you can really hear Weller’s voice flowing throughout. So how do you follow up a track like that? Well, you follow it up perfectly according to Paul Weller. It wets the whistle and leaves the listener wanting more, which is exactly what you need from an opener. This song is a journey in itself and it really sets the tone for the album. It builds up and then, after a minute, it turns into total chaos before the mood calms again… this is only by minute three of the track. The 7+ minute piece empowers the listener and holds a real mixture of sounds, defining the word experimental and providing an extremely unpredictable listen. It has a fantastic build-up and a tune that could get you pumped regardless of the mood you were in before it started. It could be argued that the greatest track of them all hits the listener as soon as the album begins through Mirror ball. However, that risk has reaped the rewards because this record will go down as one of his greatest when the time eventually comes for him to look back on his glistening career. This album is bold, it’s ‘in your face’, it’s forward-thinking and some would say, it’s risky. He has his huge fanbase for a reason: his music oozes class each time he releases it, record after record. Over the past decade, music released by Weller has been seen as traditional rock and it never seems to let anyone down. This is an album that sounds as if it was created by an optimistic, young and experimental artist and you can’t place it in a genre as it possesses such an astounding variety of sounds. Incredibly, On Sunset is the solo artist’s 26th record and he shows absolutely no signs of slowing down as he hits his later years in the industry. Paul Weller is a name that is synonymous with British culture and wherever he goes, he takes an abundance of musical talent with him. Paul Weller takes you on a musical expedition as he re-emerges with a futuristic and totally unique sound through his brand new record, On Sunset.

Paul weller vinyl