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SOLARIZED
(Koch)
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Since departing the hugely influential but commercially disappointing Stone Roses in 1996, vocalist Ian Brown has taken a circuitous route, positioning himself as a philosophical wanderer and romantic head case. His previous solo albums spiced themes of environmentalism, global politics, and future paradise with dance beats and catchy melodies. On Solarized, he creates electronic/acoustic pop psychedelia that’s equal parts drug-induced optimism and ’60s flower-power idealism, with lyrics like "Keep what you got by giving it all away" and "Let the sun shine on until the break of dawn." Even when he sings of having "far too many demons now to ever exorcize," you sense that this is a man happy with his place in the world. And his dreamy, dancing-on-atoms vocals make it easy to go with the flow and enjoy the party. Mariachi trumpet and Scottish bagpipes transform the klutzy groove of "Time Is My Everything" into an exotic tribute to what seems to be a newborn child. The gloomy atmosphere of "Keep What Ya Got" provides the backdrop for Brown’s meditation on world poverty; "Love Bug" is a Bollywood cartoon jig as barmy as his monkey-man persona. Worrying and wonderful, Solarized creates an alternate future for him and for us.
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