The Charlatans

After a silence of five years — during which time singer Tim Burgess temporarily embarked on a solo sojourn — the Charlatans have regrouped and released the most focused effort of their seventeen-year career. As always, there are ominous overtones residing just below the surface, from the drive and deliberation of "Blackened Blue Eyes" and "When the Lights Go Out in London" to the dire circumstance that permeates "Road to Paradise" and the plodding "Dead Man's Eyes." Reflecting Burgess's newfound fascination with reggae rhythms, its percolating tempos provide an affable shuffle and sway, an uncharacteristic lilt that buoys songs such as "City of the Dead," "The Architect," and "Sunset & Vine."