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	Vol.7, No 39, November 4, 1999
	The Charlatans U.K. stage classic comeback By Jason Kosareff Daily Forty-Niner Though they never really disappeared, The Charlatans U.K. have staged a comeback album that picks up the torch the Stone Roses dropped after their two or three year stint as the world's greatest rock band.  Their new album, "Us and Us Only," is a classic piece of dark, melodramatic rock 'n' roll.   ALBUM REVIEW: A The sound can be described as "riddled with angst."  Angst has been worked to death in rock music, and one can be thankful that the electronic music scene provides enough of a means of escape from it.  But it is nice to occasionally revisit the music that labeled a whole generation as unaffected.  In a sincere form, angst can be translated into something moving without falling into cliche traps.  This is exactly what The Charlatans have managed to do.  The opening track, "Forever," is a tribute to the arrogant confidence of youth. Tony Rodgers builds up a tense string of organ chords over boom bass percussion played by Jon Brookes. Singer Tim Burgess, though limited in vocal range, works in his lyrics to create the overall effect of an anti-anthem. "I wonder what these people do with their lives?" Brookes sings. Where anthems are generally uplifting, "Forever" is exactly the opposite. In fact, the only resemblance the song has to an anthem is the repetitive chorus near the song's end.  Another outstanding track is "The Blonde Waltz," which begs a comparison to The Verve. Like Stone Roses, The Charlatans craft melodic, romantic music to juxtapose with bleak lyrics about all the bad things in life.  The bitterness in their lyrics plays well with the piano and mellotron work of Rogers and the lolling bass of Martin Blunt that characterizes most of The Charlatan's music.  "Us and Us Only" may not inspire an exuberant optimism, other than the idea that the moribund state of rock is not going to be terminal.		Sparks to fly onstage   Union founder: workers still struggle   Ex-Clinton aide visits campus   Krispy Kreme to sweeten Long Beach taste buds   KLON drive 2nd most successful Remedial editorial protest   LETTER TO THE EDITOR ...Get your game on!   The Charlatans U.K. stage classic comeback   Renowned poet recites work Water polo takes on Air Force   FROM THE BEACH Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.