The title is a joke, of course. As soon as "Here Comes the Weekend" kicks off
Tim Burgess' fifth solo album on a note of shambling levity that's followed by the manic burble of "Curiosity," it's clear that this record isn't going to be ordinary, no matter if
the Charlatans singer sticks to many of his favorite sounds. Thing is,
Burgess doesn't operate with a limited palette. A consummate crate digger -- he's documented his love of records in books and on an active Twitter account -- he's documented his broad, deep love of all sorts of 20th century pop while still showing an appetite for shiny new sounds.
Typical Music reflects the omnivorous, ravenous hunger by bopping between
Velvet Underground primitivism, pompous Baroque pop, gospel lifted from
the Stones, glimmering electronica, surging surf rock,
Beach Boys melodrama and simple sunny melodies. To say that it is overstuffed is merely a description: it's bursting with ideas and also songs, running nearly 90 minutes but seeming twice as long due to the density of the individual tracks. Maybe it'd be easier to digest if it was broken into a series of EPs, but part of the point of
Typical Music is that it offers an immersion into an expansive, eccentric worldview. It needs all of its messiness to paint a full portrait. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine