Since belatedly launching his solo career in 2013 with The Messenger, Johnny Marr has barely paused to gather breath, like a man who feels he has a lot to give as well as something to prove. The Age Of Everything joins four other solo albums – one of which was a double – three live albums and a compilation, plus two books, a blockbuster auction of his guitars at Christie’s and a role in an Oscar-nominated Bond theme.
All this activity has placed Marr firmly in the spotlight, which is quite a turnaround for a man who had previously established himself as perhaps the definitive sideman, originally with The Smiths and then again with Modest Mouse and The Cribs, plus stints with Pet Shop Boys, Beth Orton, Kirsty MacColl, Blondie, Bryan Ferry and Crowded House. Perhaps the burst of solo activity came because Marr realised it was now or never? Or maybe he is doing absolutely everything possible to ensure he doesn’t have to fall back on a Smiths reunion to keep himself busy.
Fat chance of that. The Age Of Everything is an exemplar of all those elements that have made Marr’s solo career such a satisfying success: big, hooky songs, hummable melodies, insightful lyrics and a distinctive guitar sound. Writing Marr’s Guitars about his favourite guitars seems to have elicited some of Marr’s most Smiths-sounding riffs in a while. The beautiful “How Come” is a very Smithsian ballad, while “It’s Time” has a riff that, depending on the angle of approach, sounds like it’s referencing “Still Ill”, “This Charming Man” and “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”. With that in mind, it’s difficult not to wonder whether Marr’s lyrics are a passing reference to his cold war with a certain truculent old colleague, as he sings “time is now to claim my victory”.
It’s more likely that the song, like much of the album, is motivated by an attempt to capture the confusion of modern life, a theme established at the outset with bouncy opener “Spin”. This has Marr complaining “there’s too much coming and too much time/Days keep running through my head”, while playing a sharp riff that’s reminiscent of another of Marr’s collaborators, Franz Ferdinand. The song is propelled by drummer Jack Mitchell, who forms part of Marr’s regular backing band alongside Iwan Gronow on bass and James Doviak on keyboards and guitar. Doviak is also Marr’s regular co-writer, while backing vocals come from Meredith Sheldon and Marr’s son Nile.
The band are worth noting because The Age Of Everything is a band record with an unusual gestation. Marr wrote most of the songs last summer before heading out to play them on a tour of the US East Coast, allowing the group to develop the songs together, shaping and moulding them according to the audience reaction. Back in the UK, they went into Marr’s studio in Manchester to put into place the lessons learnt. With the arrangements already established and familiar, they were able to record quickly and with some of the energy that comes from a live show.
Playing the songs live first allowed Marr to experiment with the pacing of the album, ensuring The Age Of Everything has a decent flow. “Beyond The Rain” is a mid-tempo break between the more frantic “Spin” and “It’s Time”, with a phased, almost psychedelic middle-eight. It’s one of many songs to mention weather and climate, typical of Marr’s use of classic songwriting reference points when exploring emotional undercurrents. It ends with the sound of falling rain, much like “Well I Wonder” way back when.
Of course, The Smiths aren’t the only band in Marr’s past: “Ophelia” has some of Electronic’s shimmer and more references to rain, before Marr’s gorgeous, careful solo introduces the refrain. The dancey mood is carried into “That Feeling”, which captures Marr’s love of disco through its early moments, while “In And Out Of Love” is a big bustling ballad about a break-up, with Marr’s guitar at its most emotive, and a nostalgic lyric in which Marr recalls listening to “Lou Reed and Perfect Days” on “the way to no good”. Later in that song, he admits music isn’t always enough: “melodies and good times/Won’t take away the feeling that lingers”.
“Just Once More” mixes rich, layered tones and a scurrying beat with a riff that reverberates like a tolling ball. Fractured and intense, it’s a reminder of Marr’s love of Siouxsie And The Banshees. The Age Of Everything closes things with the ominous “All In A Life”, but before that comes “Fire With Fire”, a call-to-arms with cascading guitars that has Marr at his most defiant; still fighting, even if he has won every battle and has nothing left to prove.