Review: Madness Matures But Stays Lively On Album Number 13

Madness
Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est La Vie
(BMG)
3 1/2 out of 5 stars

In 1979, when the first Madness album appeared, if you asked fans, or even the band, whether they would be releasing new music over four decades later, you’d likely get laughed at by both. While the UK ensemble’s fizzy, ska-infused pop conveyed a giddy sugar rush, this was not a group making music that had legs. That seemed confirmed when they initially called it quits in 1986. But 44 years after their debut, here we are.

Madness delivers their 13th album, albeit with a few decades-long breaks along the way. Not surprisingly the sound has changed, maturing with the members’ ages, but still incorporates the basic aspects of jaunty, grin-inducing pop most obvious in the 1982 US hit, “Our House.”

Eight years on from the impressive 2016 Can’t Touch Us Now, which itself appeared seven years after their previous collection of originals (there were some live albums in there too), Madness proves their combination of very British pop, soul, and sure, even a bit of the old ska, does have staying power.

Despite this being just their third set in fourteen years (and first self-produced effort), most of the key original members remain on board. Graham “Suggs” McPherson’s voice has deepened and the songwriting has matured beyond the jittery “Baggy Trousers,” but there is no escaping it’s the same guy that sang the exuberant “My Girl” and “Embarrassment” with such contagious, effervescent energy all those years ago.

The 20-track (only 14 are songs), hour-long project, with its mouthful of a title, seems to be a song cycle. It includes six short spoken word snippets separating four “acts” of a play, and other divisions, interrupting the disc’s flow. The thread remains unclear, but the music is so invigorating, innovative, lively, and immaculately produced, that few will grouse about the concept, whatever it might be.  

“Beginners 101” and “Set Me Free (Let Me Be)” are enhanced by strings, orchestral piano, and horns. Topics range from the pandemic concerns of “Lockdown and Frack Off” to the daily reality of London middle-class neighborhood living (“In My Street”) and the distressed state of today’s world (“Run for Your Life”). Plentiful lyrics populate these songs, sometimes too many, but even when things get overly wordy and the topics are far from festive, the tunes retain a spirited zest harkening back to Madness’ best work.

Chopping a few cuts, orchestrations, and window dressing along with more judicious editing (perhaps self-production wasn’t such a great idea) would help these tracks connect with a tighter punch. But …C’est La Vie is a welcome return for Madness, an outfit most wouldn’t have expected to deliver a project so musically or lyrically complex, and enjoyable, this late in their career.        

Featured image courtesy Big Hassle