Although they're seen to be about as fashionable as rickets and calipers in certain sections of the press these days, it's always foolish to write Brighton stalwarts THE LEVELLERS off out of hand. And, while they might now be approaching twenty years of treading the boards together, new album "Truth & Lies" finds them in characteristically rude health.
Indeed, in tandem with new producers Mark Wallis (U2, Travis, The Smiths) and ex-Ruts drummer Dave Ruffy, the band have hit a fine seam of form, and most of "Truth & Lies" convinces with the customary fire and passion we've come to expect whenever a new Levellers album lands in our midst.
Opener "Last Man Alive" immediately makes you sit up and take notice. It's a typically urgent call to arms and an anthemic rabble rouser to get us underway and makes it clear from the off that The Levellers' skills with bristling anthems hasn't failed them yet. It's followed by the equally persuasive "Make U Happy", where a sprightly chorus and recent Top 40 placing once again remind you of this band's ongoing commercial viability. It doesn't hurt that it's lifted by a joyous violin solo from Jon Sevink and a quintessentially inclusive chorus ("I would love to make this world right....I need your help and you need mine") either.
Hearteningly, much of what follows maintains the standard, too. Songs like the rocky and riffsmart "Wheels", the all-embracing and anthemic "Tie A Knot Around The World" and the drum-heavy and propulsive "Who's The Daddy?" are all a boon for long-term fans desperate for new anthems in the vein of "15 Years" and "One Way", while the community-minded singalong of "For Us All" is so jaunty it could almost be The La's, save for Sevink's Waterboys-y fiddling.
Experimentation hasn't been consigned to the winds of history either. "Confess" is a nice surprise early on, with Arabian strings, programming and Jeremy Cunnigham's dubby basslines all conspiring in a track spiritually closer to, say, Trans-Global Underground than the usual punky yardsticks. This one also showcases a fine vocal from Mark Chadwick and some nicely sardonic lyrics such as "There were devils bearing gifts and angels on the piss" amongst the usual defiant self-mythology. The closing "Sleeping" is arguably even better, too, with unlikely ingedients like floaty loops and beats all entering the equation and the band pulling off something quite special.
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Actually, the only place they really come unstuck is with "The Damned", which is OK, but by The Levellers standards a bit of a plodder, even though it may well bring the lighters out in the right circumstances. Nonetheless, t's the one place where things refuse to spark and an obvious contender for the skip button in future.
Still, one dud out of 11 ain't a bad average where a band approaching the end of its' second creative decade is concerned. "Truth & Lies" may come up a little short in terms of sonic innovation, but it's very much the sound of a band doing what they do well with power and confidence to spare and makes for a consistently enjoyable listen.
So once again, The Levellers defy the odds and retain their relevance. You can't beat a good thorn in the side, can you?
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