to release new album
‘TRUE MEANINGS’
via PARLOPHONE
on September 14
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To put it simply, True Meanings, the 14th Paul Weller solo album, the 26th studio album of his entire career, is a record unlike any he has ever made before.
Available via Parlophone on September 14, True Meanings is an album characterised by grandiose-yet-delicate, lush orchestration: an aesthetic to which Paul’s better-than-ever voice, singing some of his most nakedly honest words, is perfectly suited. A dreamy, peaceful, pastoral set of songs to get lost in, it is both an album that a lot of his faithful audience have wanted him to make for a long time, and an album that many new people outside of that audience will relate to.
On the May 25 this year, Paul Weller turned 60: a milestone that has unquestionably had an impact on the feel, both lyrically and musically, of True Meanings which comes across being the most singer-songwriter-style album he has ever made. However, it is also the most collaborative: with more guests than any record he’s been involved in before.
As well as all the members of Weller’s band, Rod Argent of The Zombies provides Hammond organ on The Soul Searchers and piano and Mellotron on White Horses; folk legends Martin Carthy and Danny Thompson add picked guitar and double bass respectively to Come Along; Little Barrie plays lead guitar on Old Castles; Lucy Rose sings backup on Books; and Movin’ On is the result of a “scratchy demo” on Paul’s phone that was sent to Tom Doyle of the White Label project. Even Noel Gallagher makes a sneaky appearance.
Perhaps most surprisingly of all, especially given how personal and introspective True Meanings feels, lyrics for four of the fourteen songs here were written, to Weller’s melodies, by others. Conor O’Brien from Villagers came up with the words to opener The Soul Searchers, while Bowie, Wishing Well and the closing White Horses are all the work, lyrically, of Erland Cooper from Erland & The Carnival.
True Meanings was produced by Paul Weller except The Soul Searchers, which was co-produced by Paul and Conor O’Brien, and Movin’ On, which was co-produced by Weller and White Label. The album was engineered and recorded by Charles Rees and mixed by Jan Stan Kybert.
The album was recorded in just over three weeks at Paul’s own Black Barn Studio, with the aforementioned, revolving cast of characters dropping in for a day here and there. The orchestration was added soon after, and that was that. It is always a good sign when the recording of an album is swift, and here you can just hear that the man at the centre of these songs is as focused and inspired – more inspired, even – than he has ever been.
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True Meanings will be available in the following formats:
CD: Housed in a ‘soft-pack’ gatefold card wallet with 12-page booklet.
Deluxe CD: Limited, deluxe edition CD in a case-bound book package, including a 28-page booklet of photos and lyrics.
Vinyl LP: Double heavyweight black vinyl LP, housed in a gatefold ‘tip-on’ sleeve, with eight-page booklet fixed inside the sleeve, plus a download card. The tip-on sleeve is limited to initial orders only.
Digital: Available to download and stream via all DSPs.
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Track listing:
1. The Soul Searchers
2. Glide
3. Mayfly
4. Gravity
5. Old Castles
6. What Would He Say?
7. Aspects
8. Bowie
9. Wishing Well
10. Come Along
11. Books
12. Movin’ On
13. May Love TravelWith You
14. White Horses
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Follow PAUL WELLER
OFFICIAL WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE
www.warnermusic.com.au
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