Matt Johnson reassembles THE THE, returning with the project’s first studio album in twenty-five years. Johnson’s brainchild, the London-based post-punk/art-folk outfit, delivers Ensoulment, an album filled with poetic observations on modern society over shifting tempos and backings.
Playing cinematically and dramatically throughout, focusing on Johnson’s lyrics and deep-in-your-ear vocals, the album portrays Johnson as a carnival barker, demonic lounge singer, crusty crank and forlorn romantic, sometimes shifting line to line. Working with a core band of Barrie Cadogan – electric guitar, DC Collard – keyboards, James Eller – bass guitar, Earl Harvin – drums, and Gillian Glover – backing vocals, supporting his vocal musings, the group interplay stays steady throughout.
The album’s ominous tone is set with the disorienting opener “Cognitive Dissident,” as the percussion and swirling sounds support Johnson’s contrastive lyrics. The acoustic-based “Some Days I Drink My Coffee By The Grave Of William Blake” grows slowly, swelling and swaying in a Nick Cave-inspired fashion before melding into “Zen & The Art of Dating,” which uses a growling bass, marching drums, and overblown dramatic ponderings of modern romance.
Johnson’s delivery can border on parody at times such as on the lounge music at a carnival sound of “Kiss The Ring of POTUS” but his breathy delivery works wonderfully for the bare, straight-ahead love ode, “I Want To Wake Up With You”.
Ensoulment improves to end with a run of the best songs on the record. Written while recovering from life saving surgery, “Linoleum Smooth To The Stockinged Foot”, layers synths and pulsing beats increasing with tense insanity while “I Hope You Remember (the things I can’t forget)” has a Tom Waits confident vibe flowing through it. Closer “A Rainy Day In May” wraps up with a great groove while “Where Do We Go When We Die?” adds Sonya Cullingford’s fiddle and Danny Cummings percussion to be the best combination of Johnson’s soul-searching, evocative lyrics and the band’s enchanting vibrations, resulting in an album highlight.
Johnson sings, “Some things best experienced, not explained,” on “Life After Life,” and perhaps that is how Ensoulment should be digested as THE THE returns with Johnson’s unique, dramatic observation laid out around warbling grooves.
