ALBUM REVIEW: The Atheist – Jamie Lenman
JAMIE LENMAN has had a remarkable career. The former REUBEN frontman is a long way from being a household name, but his fans absolutely adore him. He’s one of the last flag wavers for Britain’s alternative rock scene of the early 2000s and a fixture of the UK underground. Some of his peers (i.e. BIFFY CLYRO) might have sold more records and gone on to headline bigger stages, but you could make a convincing argument that our Jamie is more loved.
And his latest album, his fourth since returning as a solo artist in 2013, isn’t going to damage that reputation at all. The Atheist runs the gamut from hard rock anthems to bittersweet introspection and sees him fully embracing his poppier side without sanding off the grit. It’s not as adventurous as his now-classic Muscle Memory debut, but it’s a reliably enjoyable way to spend 45 minutes.
Like his long-time friend and occasional collaborator Frank Turner, Lenman makes distinctively ‘British’ albums. The Atheist should be universally appealing, but it’ll likely hit harder if you spent your youth watching Spaced and listening to THE PRODIGY in the park. Opening song This Is All There Is for example is a fiercely anti-Christian track, where Lenman sounds like every British teenager whose relationship with their parents hasn’t been quite the same since they discovered evidence-based reasoning. It’s told from an atheistic rather than a Satanic perspective, and the frustration is etched into every line. But it’s also a fun listen. The versatile songwriter gets increasingly wound up over how infuriatingly illogical faith is, but it never stops being entertaining.
Lead single Talk Hard is a good time too. It’s an exuberant, hook-laden track that’s very reminiscent of his former band, while Lena Don’t Leave Me is a good-time rock ‘n’ roll party track about romance. It’s a jovial burst of sunshine but what makes it really endearing is that it’s not a polished or glamorous song. Lenman isn’t the world’s greatest singer or an incredible guitar player, but he is a master of writing catchy pop rock with an earnest, heart-on-sleeve appeal. Plus, the lyrics are clever enough that you could either take it at face value or interpret it as something else entirely.
Curiously, The Atheist is at its best when Lenman performs more openly moving songs. There’s a fragility to Hospital Tree that only makes it more likable, while the excellent This Town Will Never Let Us Go is a late album highlight. If you’ve ever dreamed of moving away from your hometown, then woken up one day and realised that years have passed, you’re still there and all your old friends have moved away, this one will hurt.
The Atheist then is another wonderfully poignant slice of alt-rock from one of our more humble heroes. It’s engaging, witty and strikingly clever too. It’s doubtful he’ll ever headline Download, but he’s got a lot more drunken late-night singalongs at 2000 Trees in his future. In some respects, it’s a crying shame that REUBEN never got to be superstars, but you could argue that JAMIE LENMAN is right where he needs to be. Get this in your ears.
Rating: 8/10
The Atheist is set for release on November 25th via Big Scary Monsters.
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