Paul Weller announces new album More Modern Classics and London shows in May

More Modern Classics is a fitting title: a high quality stylish collection featuring tracks taken from Paul’s albums of the last 15 years of his solo career. These 15 years have seen a constant artistic high, with each subsequent album release being heralded as “his best yet”. There are few artists with as many incarnations as Paul who can claim to have achieved such an ongoing renaissance, keeping each of their album releases sounding fresh and showered with plaudits.

The modfather said: “This is just another few chapters of my life’s work, a journey which I would hope you would come with me on…..The music on this compilation is over 15 years but for me it feels like it could be five or six years. I’m rushing through like, I can’t slow it down. I’ll cling on tight and see where it ends up.”

From Helliocentric to Sonik Kicks Paul proved that his fire hasn’t gone out.  When Paul released 22 Dreams in 2008, it marked one of the most remarkable creative re-births of recent years. 22 Dreams was a dazzling kaleidoscope of unexpected shifts, sonic experimentation and head-spinning inventiveness all marked by a wide-eyed sense of newfound artistic freedom; it bowled over both fans and those who had long since written off Weller as merely a dependable traditionalist.

The creative fire sparked by this new way of creating music quickly spread onto his next two albums. Both 2010’s spiky and restlessly experimental (and Mercury Prize-nominated) Wake Up the Nation and 2012’s Sonik Kicks, in which Weller crams about as many ideas and sounds into futuristic three-and-a-bit-minute pop songs as humanly possible, are rightly regarded alongside 22 Dreams as among the very best records he’s ever produced. Not bad for an artist approaching 40 years in the music business.

Some of Paul’s best singles are here such as live favourite From the Floorboards Up to the never-off-the-radio That Dangerous Age.   A brand new track – released for 2014’s Record Store Day – Brand New Toy is also included.  A video for Brand New Toy has been made by director Joe Connor and features Paul actually inside a giant kaleidoscope to create the brilliant psychedelic effects.

More Modern Classics is the long-awaited follow up to 1998’s Modern Classics which showcased the first part of Paul Weller’s highly successful solo career.  This album confirms Weller’s status as the most resilient survivor from punk’s class of 76 and outclassing and outperforming many of his earlier and later years’ contemporaries. It showcases his continuing progression as an artist, never afraid to take chances, move forward and buck trends – always staying fresh and transcending the zeitgeist.  More Modern Classics continues to serve as a reminder of his wide range and gift for melody and song writing.

The album will be presented at two intimate shows in London next May.

The editorial unit