Cian Downing has spent much of his career fending off accusations of being a lightweight imitation of what went before. He even jokingly describes himself as the poor man’s Paul Weller in his Spotify biography.
But that seems a little unfair.
While his music might not be breaking down any great artistic boundaries, there’s always room for somebody to reinterpret the past and introduce it to a new generation. Particularly in a world where an alarming number of young guitar bands seem to believe musical history began with Oasis releasing ‘Supersonic’.
And at least Downing is ploughing a different field. Even if it happens to be one that the Gallagher brothers wandered through for inspiration themselves.
The trouble with being a Mod in the twenty-first century, of course, is that the future has already happened.
The sharp suits, Italian scooters and obscure American soul records were once the cutting edge of modern youth culture. Sixty years later, they’ve become exhibits in a museum of British popular music, lovingly maintained by people who can tell you the precise catalogue number of a 1964 Tamla Motown pressing.
But the original modernists weren’t supposed to be museum curators.
They were supposed to be looking for the next big thing.
And perhaps Cian Downing is already grasping this particular contradiction.
Having established himself as one of the younger exponents of British Mod-influenced guitar music, on Try To Understand he’s turning his attention towards the more sophisticated territory of soul.
There comes a point in every young Mod’s life when three chords and an angry expression are no longer sufficient to explain the complexities of the human condition.
Paul Weller discovered this in 1982 and promptly started making summery soul records as The Style Council.
And that’s broadly where Try To Understand is heading.
There’s a driving, four-to-the-floor Northern Soul beat, a splash of Hammond organ and gospel-flavoured backing vocals that gradually work their way into the arrangement.
But Downing’s rougher edges remain.
Indeed, his vocal delivery always owes considerably more to Billy Bragg than to Weller, and occasionally he sounds slightly uncomfortable amid the more polished musical surroundings, much as the Bard of Barking sometimes did when venturing beyond his familiar territory.
But that’s part of the charm.
The contrast between the smooth soul arrangements and Downing’s distinctly unvarnished vocals gives the record a personality that a more accomplished, technically polished singer might have struggled to reproduce.
Whether Try To Understand represents a signpost towards a new musical direction on his forthcoming second album or merely an enjoyable diversion remains to be seen.
Either way, it’s a welcome addition to his catalogue and another small step in the development of an artist still finding his own musical identity.
After all, the whole point of being a modernist was supposed to be moving forward.
Cian Downing is currently recording his much anticipated second album. Try To Understand is out now on all streaming platforms and Downing continues to gig relentlessly and is probably playing in a town relatively near you soon.
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