The Charlatans - Lips That Would Kiss (2017)

Two years after the release of 2004's 'Up At The Lake', The Charlatans reconvened to write and record their ninth studio album at Hook End Manor Studios in London, laying down the songs between August and December 2005, and then releasing 'Simpatico' in April 2006 on new label Creole Records. The album was met with mixed reviews from critics, with one commenting that the overall vibe seems more important than the individual songs. Despite that it works well on its own terms, and was proof that the now-veteran Charlatans were building a reliably entertaining body of work. Six months later Island Records issued the 'Forever: The Singles' album to cash in on the band after they left the label, and many fans feared that this was the end of the group, signing off with a record that could be seen as lacking direction and focus. A new year and a new label saw 'You Cross My Path' appear on the Cooking Vinyl label in March 2008, with CD and vinyl versions being released two months later in May. Not only was the album itself a surprise appearance, but the March release was offered as a free download in conjunction with the XFM Radio station, and it was received as their best album in a decade, and even one of the best albums of the year, ditching the soul and reggae dabbling of the past and pushing Tony Rogers' Hammond organ back out front, where it should be. For this release the band tried producing it themselves, with assistance from James Spencer, and most of the tracks were mixed by Alan Moulder, with the cover being drawn by Faris Badwan of The Horrors. In 2010 the band marked the 20th anniversary of the release of 'Some Friendly' by performing the album in full at Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival. Their 11th studio album, 'Who We Touch', was slated for release in September of 2010, but during the supporting tour for the album, drummer Jon Brookes was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and Peter Salisbury was drafted in to help finish off the tour, although Brookes did show up at year-end gigs with the band. Tim Burgess and Mark Collins did a brief acoustic tour on their own in 2011 before Burgess began work on a solo album, returning to the Charlatans in 2012. The regrouped band started work on a new album, as well as playing their 1997 album 'Tellin' Stories' in its entirety at two separate shows that summer, with the 8 June show at HMV Hammersmith Apollo being released as a live album that August. However, after several operations and ongoing treatment for his brain tumour, Brookes died in hospital on August 13, 2013 at the age of 44. The Charlatans reconvened in 2014 to record their twelfth studio album, entitled 'Modern Nature', which was released on the BMG Records label in January 2015, debuting at number seven in the U.K., making it the band's highest-charting album since 2006's 'Simpatico'. Two years later, they followed up with 2017's 'Different Days', a record sporting cameos from Paul Weller and Johnny Marr, and although they continued to gift un-released recordings to their fans, they were releasing fewer singles in their later years, and so this final post in the series contains all the non-album b-sides from the last decade of their recording career, from 2006 to 2017. In 2012 Tim Burgess made his biggest non-musical statement, when he dyed his hair blonde, and despite many people thinking it was just a phase, he still sports this look today, so that's how he's portrayed on the cover.    

Track listing

01 Don't You Worry (b-side of 'Blackened Blue Eyes' 2006)
02 Hard To Be You (Song For Carl) (b-side of 'NYC (There's No Need To Stop)' 2006)
03 It Is What It Is (b-side of 'Mis-Takes' 2008)
04 Blank Heart, Blank Mind (b-side of 'The Misbegotten' 2008)
05 Set Me Free (b-side of 'The Misbegotten' 2008)
06 Complete Control (b-side of 'Oh! Vanity' 2008)
07 Lips That Would Kiss (b-side of 'My Foolish Pride' 2010)
08 Tonal Nagual Fur Star Liner Aquatic Ape Mix (b-side of 'Talking In Tones' 2014)
09 Joy.Izzy (Simon Fisher Turner Remix) (b-side of 'Come Home Baby' 2015)
10 We Sleep On Borrowed Time (b-side of 'Trouble Understanding' 2016)
11 I Like You (b-side of 'Over Again' 2017)