Johnny Marr – The Age of Everything

Review by

Tom Parmiter

Tom is a UK-based music writer who first contributed to No Ripcord in 2018.

Johnny Marr’s guitars recently went under the hammer at Christie’s, fetching just under £ 4 million. Before these classic instruments left their owner, they made one last appearance on Marr’s fifth solo studio album, The Age of Everything. The record is a typically unpretentious, well-crafted collection from the legendary guitarist, front-loaded with singles and snappier tracks, while slower, more deliberate efforts make up the second half.

Right out of the gate, “Spin” gives us a tight, confident preview of what’s to come. A catchy opening statement with excellent, balanced production from Marr and James Doviak, every element of the music is given room to breathe. A particular strength is the blending of Marr’s vocals and backing vocals provided by Doviak and band members Iwan Gronow, Meredith Sheldon, and Nile Marr. “Beyond the Rain” follows hot on its heels with another solid chorus. It provides a window of what will feature more in the latter half of the record, with its mid-section consisting of an instrumental and nearly ambient interlude.

In recent interviews, Marr has commented on younger generations being ‘really switched on,’ and having hope for the future through them. “It’s Time” appears to get closest to this mindset, via lyrics that appeal to mobilising the truth and to “raise the skies over you,” a sense given further platform with a notably higher tempo than the other predominantly mid tempo cuts. “How Come,” which immediately follows, is the most straight-ahead track on the record, its simple yet effective structure fleshed out with jangly acoustic guitars while ride cymbals act as the metronome for a very hummable chorus line.

If you’ve come here looking for the song closest in feel to Marr’s Smiths work, “Ophelia” ticks every box; the opening riff immediately redolent, interlocking with Gronow’s bass and maintaining a hypnotic churn through the track until a pleasing melodic shift for the chorus, where a picked acoustic guitar pattern provides tone and depth.

As mentioned prior, these tracks lead into a back half that takes a bit more time to build its ideas; most successful of these is “Just Once More,” which builds effectively into a real grower via a curious bass hook that opens proceedings. “All in a Life” takes a juicy bass synth and picked guitar opening into a stomping verse—transitioning through an instrumental bridge into a highly melodic blended vocal outro.

Marr’s vocal lines sit right in his sweet spot, consistent and convincing throughout. And what of those guitars? It might seem a little reductive to mention them here almost as an afterthought, but that has a lot to do with how reliable Marr’s sound is. You know they will be packed full of tone throughout, singing all the songs you want to hear from them, jangling and picking patterns that call and answer with vocal lines as hooks in their own right (see “In and Out of Love”). The Age of Everything has everything a fan could want, succinctly realised across 45 minutes. It is an unpretentious record from one of the UK’s most influential guitar players, and all the more effective for it.

The Age of Everything is out now via BMG and New Voodoo Ltd.