Paul Weller's Latest Album Doesn't Look for Answers to Our Political Dilemmas

The Modfather is back with a new album titled A Kind Revolution.

Tom Beard

Paul Weller is a legend in England. But cracking the U.S. market has always been elusive for the man they call the Modfather. "It's pockets of people, really," Weller says of his American fanbase. "But they're incredibly loyal, I'll say that about them."

Those fans will surely be lining up for A Kind Revolution, Weller's latest album, out tomorrow. (The deluxe 10" 5LP set is especially cool.) The album recently got a five-star review from muso bible MOJO, and the early reaction has been positive across the board. They're the sort of accolades that any musician dreams of, but with his 59th birthday coming later this month, Weller takes it all in stride.

"The response to the new material at the gigs has been really positive, so that means a lot," he says of the recent live shows he played in the U.K., partly to road test the new material. Weller will embark on his most extensive tour of the U.S. in years this October.

Weller cut his teeth in the early days of punk as the frontman and principal songwriter for The Jam (whose debut album was released an improbable 40 years ago this spring), went on to abandon that band for the soul/jazz outfit the Style Council, and has enjoyed a remarkably fertile third act as a solo artist since the early '90s. But it's been in the last ten years that he's really found his groove. Since 2008's 22 Dreams, each album has been a remarkable, deep dive into new territory for Weller, with increasingly extraordinary results. Saturns Pattern, released in 2015, seemed to mark the inevitable peak, but A Kind Revolution ups the ante yet again, mixing old school rock and soul with space age punk, electronica grooves, and even a waltz and shades of jazz.

As for its title, Weller is firm that it's not a political statement.

"It's not about politics at all, man, no," Weller says flatly. "I don't think any politicians have got any answers, frankly. The answer for us—for the human race—is there's got to be a spiritual awakening, a revolution, for this world to change. And obviously, whether we get to see that given the current state of things, who knows. I just hope it doesn't take World War III or a fucking nuclear holocaust to bring us all to our senses. We're in such a sad, sad state at the moment. It seems as though we've learned nothing from history."

With an eighth child on the way next month, Weller is more reflective than ever. When our talk turns to Brexit, the upcoming General Election in Britain, and Donald Trump, you can almost sense Weller's blood start to boil. But the man who wrote "Going Underground" and "Eton Rifles" quickly brings the conversation back to earth, and immediately focuses the frustration he feels over the future of our planet on the mess we're leaving our children. "It's for real," Weller says, with an audible sense of aggravation. "You see what kind of future they have."

"We're in such a sad, sad state at the moment," Weller says. "It seems as though we've learned nothing from history."

Weller is also inspired by the fantastic musicians he surrounds himself with—"we bring new people in because it keeps it interesting and fresh and you discover new things along the way"—including his fantastic backing band, which features his secret weapons Andy Crofts from The Moons on keyboards, guitar, and stellar backing vocals, drummers Ben Gordelier and Steve Pilgrim, long-serving guitar ace Steve Craddock, as well as Soft Machine legend Robert Wyatt, vocalists P.P. Arnold and Madeline Bell, Josh McClory from Ireland's The Strypes, and fellow '80s superstar Boy George.

"With George, I've been trying to do something with him for a couple of years," Weller says of the seemingly unlikely pairing. "He was actually going to be on the last album, but he was just too busy at the time. So this time I kind of pinned him down. He came down for a couple of hours to the studio and sang, and that was it, really. But like Josh, I could really hear George's voice in what I wanted to accomplish, and I think our voices go together really well. His voice has just gotten better with age."

There's also an ode to New York City on A Kind Revolution. "The song 'New York' came about because it's how I met my wife," Weller explains. "You know, we met in New York many, many years ago—just by chance we both ended up in the same bar. The vibe in it came from a beat that the producer came up with, and I was kind of imagining a New York Latino vibe. I don't know if you get that from the track, because it's like a lot of influences—it comes from whatever you're thinking of at the time. I know it sounds nothing like that to other people, but that's cool, really, because it means it's gone through a filter and come out sounding different."

Weller also says that scoring the U.K. independent film Jawbone—a first for him—was equally inspiring. "I was really lucky because, as it was independent film, I was kind of given carte blanche to try and do whatever I wanted," Weller says. "So I came up with this 20-minute almost ambient piece. Not at all what the director expected, I'm sure. But he loved it and he ended up using the majority of it in different shapes and forms. When you see it with the film it's different and sometimes jarring with the picture, but sometimes quite harmonious as well. It was the right thing for that film, anyway, because the film is very gritty. It's quite an English thing or drama thing, so I thought I'd try something more abstract with the soundtrack, and I think it works really well."

Weller, whose style has launched a thousand imitators, also has his own bespoke clothing line, Real Stars Are Rare, of which he seems more humble than usual. "It started out of wanting to have certain things to wear that I couldn't find," Weller says. "It's tempting to have it get bigger, but we've kept it small, and the quality high. It's not for everyone, but I really love what we've done and I'm quite proud of it, in a way."

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