More On The Noel Gallagher & Gem Archer Track With Weller

Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller have done cover versions as The Smokin' Mojo Filters, appeared on stage together plenty of times and no doubt often call each other up to complain about young people nowadays. But the pair have never written a song together until Echoes Round the Sun, due to appear on Weller's ninth solo album, 22 Dreams.

“Noel came down to the studio with this loop he'd never been able to do anything with. He played the bass and the piano and then Gem [Archer, Oasis guitarist] played guitar on top. It's a top tune,” Weller has revealed.

I've heard it and have to agree: Noel's bass dominates, pounding through the song in thick slabs, pausing only for a basic piano breakdown. Archer's guitar feeds back enjoyably, Bollywood-style strings add drama and the whole thing motors along at a terrific pace.

It's one of many signs that Weller is feeling rejuvenated after his Lifetime Achievement Brit last year. The new album (released 2 June) is a wide-ranging double, with 21 tracks that include trad folk on Light Nights, racing soul on A Dream Reprise, winsome balladry on Black River (which stars another big Britpop name, Graham Coxon) and One Bright Star, an oddity seemingly designed for ballroom dancing. He sounds like he's having fun, playing with his mates and experimenting a little. And why shouldn't he?

Source: www.thisislondon.co.uk