I'm Becoming a Bore

In my opinion, James jumped the shark - or to borrow a reference apropos for the Summer of '08: nuked the fridge - upon release of Laid, the song not the album. It just seemed to be a bit pandering to the sophomoric, mediocre tastes of the times, and I honestly haven't really heard much of their music since then.

Time heals all wounds, right? If so, I should give their new one - called Hey Ma - a listen when it's released September 16.

"This is the best period of James I've ever been involved in," Tim Booth said in a statement. "The band is reformed in its strongest line and everything feels fresh and exciting again..We are proud and excited to be bringing this to the States, where we feel we have some unfinished business."

And they are certainly committed to their business in the states as evidenced by their announcement of their upcoming tour:

Boston, MA Paradise Lounge (September 15)
Philadelphia, PA Trocadero (16)
Washington, DC 9.30 Club
New York, NY Radio City Music Hall (19)
Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony (20)
Montreal, Quebec Club Soda (22)
Toronto, Ontario Phoenix Concert Theatre (23)
Chicago, IL Vic Theatre (25)
Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom (26)
Minneapolis, MN Fine Line (27)
Denver, CO Ogden Theatre (29)
San Francisco, CA The Regency (October 1)
Los Angeles, CA El Rey (2)
San Diego, CA House of Blues (3)
Anaheim, CA House of Blues (5)

I still do really enjoy their classics like Sit Down and Born of Frustration, and because they consider this album and tour a rebirth of the band stateside, I will treat it as such. If the Charlatans UK can burst back like they did with their latest, I have no doubt James can too.