Come Ahead

プライマル・スクリーム、12枚目のフルアルバム!

11曲の新曲。本作の曲作りのプロセスは2019年から始まり、アコースティックギターを使ってBobby Gillespie一人で作曲。
プロデュースはDavid Holmes。
初めてのアルバムを制作するのと同じくらいの興奮。本作に全体的なテーマがあるとすれば、それは内面であれ外面であれ、葛藤がテーマかもしれない。タイトルはグラスゴーの言葉。誰かがあなたと戦うと脅かしてきたら「出てこい!」と言う。グラスゴー出身の不屈の精神を彷彿とさせ、このアルバム自体もその攻撃的な姿勢と自身を共有している。～Bobby Gillespie

■Standard Black Vinyl

After working with Jehnny Beth on Utopian Ashes and publishing his autobiography, Tenement Kid, Bobby Gillespie found himself at an artistic crossroads of sorts. He began writing a batch of songs by himself, tapping into his political angst and frustration, and working through his personal history as well. As he progressed, he wasnt sure if they were songs for Primal Scream or his first solo album. At some point, he decided they were going to be for the next Scream album, and after teaming with producer David Holmes, he turned those songs into Come Ahead, the bands 12th album. Its their first to be recorded this way -- usually members of the band, especially Andrew Innes, would come up with the musical ideas first -- and further solidifies the concept that Gillespie is Primal Scream. The origin story behind the albums creation is interesting enough, but the real proof is how it sounds and whether the songs land. As with most Primal Scream albums, they jump from genre to genre with blind confidence. Holmes and Gillespie tackle disco on a couple of tracks -- "Ready to Go" and "Innocent Money" -- adding lavish gospel choir vocal backing, and on the latter, a full string section. They drop in some cop-show funk that comes complete with congas and flutes on "Love Insurrection"; get grungy and Bad Seeds-y on "Love Aint Enough"; delve into late-period New Order territory ("Deep Dark Waters"); spread their wings on the dubby dance track "The Centre Cannot Hold"; and on "False Flags," they attempt a trad rock reboot of the spacier side of Screamadelica. Its an impressive show of musicianship, and each track feels plotted out as fully as any espionage novel. The only problem is that they also come across with dangerously low levels of excitement. Part of the problem is that by now Primal Scream have exhausted many of their genre-hopping tricks; another is that they overcook most of the songs, adding layers of instruments and vocals until it sounds as gloppy and flat as a failed souffle. Add to the mix Gillespies overly wordy, desperately political, painfully personal lyrics, and its even more of a problem. Hes at his best when dropping in slogans or vigorously spouting platitudes as the band rollick and bubble behind him, not when hes rushing through syllable-forward verses and battling with the choir to be heard. In some ways, he should be commended for trying to shift the bands narrative so late in the game, but honestly, Come Ahead should have been his first solo album. As a Primal Scream record, its no great shakes, intermittently bland and lifeless, and sometimes verging on embarrassing (as on the overly long, somewhat simplistic dirge "Settlers Blues"). Perhaps if Gillespie had cast aside the shackles inherent in trying to make an album in the well-established Scream style, he might have been able to break free and create something all his own where the story-songs and endless political lessons made more sense. Something more like his soundtrack to the 2024 film 5 Hectares, where he strips away the bombast and delivers something smaller and easier to get next to. Sadly, this kind of bloated, big-budget spectacle of an album not only feels out of place in 2024, it feels out of place in the groups discography. Theyve never been the most consistent band, making mistakes and careening down the wrong road in pursuit of transcendence -- something they have managed to achieve a few magical times -- but theyve never sounded this irrelevant or out of touch before. Come Ahead is the work of a band who have lost the plot and need to put down the pen before they do any more damage to their legacy. ~ Tim Sendra

ボビー・ギレスピーによる素晴らしい自伝の刊行や『Screamadelica』の30周年ツアーなどで動いてはいつつ、懐古主義的にも見えたなかで8年ぶりの新作が登場。これは〈完全復活!〉と快哉を叫びたくなる一枚だ。モッズ～ジャズ・ファンクな音作りの名手、デヴィッド・ホルムズを制作に召喚。ストリングスや女性コーラスをふんだんに散りばめたゴージャスな演奏を従えてボビーが踊りまくっている。さらにトリクルダウンの欺瞞や植民地主義を非難する歌詞は、労働組合員だったボビーの父親をあしらったジャケットに違わぬ姿勢を示すもの。
bounce (C)田中亮太