‘Will I still make good records? / When I’m 64?’ Yes, Paul. You will.

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I wonder if Paul McCartney thought this is how he would end up at 64: a divorced widower and nearly the last living link to The Beatles.

Granted, Sir Paul hasn’t had the best last couple years. Then again, when you’re Paul McCartney and you’re ridiculously fucking rich and you were one of the two songwriters behind the greatest written music ever, you’re already way ahead of the curve. But you have to admit it’s mighty depressing to think how one of the most criminally slept-on love songs (When I’m 64) turned out for person who wrote it.

Yet out of great tragedy, comes great art. And once again, McCartney finds us with Memory Almost Full, released June 5. Paul McCartney – who turns 65 June 18 recorded a good album. Not ‘Beatles great,’ but very solid. Most of the tracks come in at a very punk-rock three minutes and the best moments occur when McCartney takes a sober look at life and love.

The album’s opener is okay, but upbeat poppy hook and polite synthesizers on the mildly depressing but upbeat “Ever Present Past” find McCartney openly wondering if time has passed him by. “Ever Present Past” provides the album’s apex and what you’ll invariably hear coming from the luxury sedans of aging hipsters in the coming weeks. “You Tell Me” slows down the vibe of the record, with a meandering guitar and vocals reminiscent of “Blackbird.”

“That was Me” evolves with a bluesy vibe, letting Paul show off that he hasn’t lost his “Back in the USSR” pipes, which segues beautifully into the dreamy “Feet in the Clouds.” Even though the next song “House of Wax” is a but too epic, using a subdued, but massive drum track and whiny guitar through McCartney’s cries, it still serves listenable and provides the only extended guitar solo on the entire LP.

Somehow the screeching and wondering guitar at the end of “House of Wax” mesh brilliantly into Memory’s second best moment – “The End of the End,” where Paul imagines his own mortality with a weepy piano.

“No reason to cry / No need to be sad / At the end of the end…” he sings between whistle solos (!). The somber moments created on Memory serve McCartney best, they seem the most authentic; unforced releases of emotion. The three bonus tracks are also fairly solid, especially the acoustic “Why So Blue,” and even the bongo-based “In Private” instrumental. One of the album’s missteps, “Nod Your Head,” is an obvious shot at recreating “Helter Skelter.” I liked it the first time better; you will, too.

In Rolling Stone, Robert Christgau delivers a very well-written – in the sense that its error free - review of Memory Almost Full, yet forgets to interject any sort of, well, “review” to the record.

(Here’s a little trick to tell if someone reviews records well. Cover up the number/stars/mics given to the album and read the review. Then, guess what the writer rated the album. Since pretty much everyone gets three stars now, it’s not that difficult of an exercise, but you’ll see what I mean. No one reviews anything anymore. They merely describe the music. But I have ears. I can hear. I’ll listen to the LP when I go to the iTunes Store later and sample the tracks. But in the review, I want to know if I need to do that. The write needs to tell the readers if they NEED the album. Do they need to buy it? Do they need to use it as a beer coaster? Should they run to Know Name Records, buy all 12 copies on the shelf and give the record to everyone they know, so others can share in such a great opus? Maybe they should forever rue the day they heard the name of that record because it’s so horrible. BUT SOME LEVEL OF DISCOURSE NEEDS TO OCCUR! At least put “Check these” or “Songs to download” and give me a reason to check out the record. Here is a perfect album review. It happens to be written by my friend 2Tall.)

All things considered, is Sir Paul hurting from the divorce? Absolutely. Does he still miss Linda? Yes. But selfishly for us, it makes beautiful music.

Rating: 3.5/5 – Recommended
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Elliot writes professionally for a daily newspaper and loves The Beatles, yet never expected Paul McCartney to record another album worth giving extended listens. He doesn’t mean that as an insult, but after you’ve recorded so much great music, the desire to create music on that level seems to evaporate in great artists. You can only create so much greatness in one lifetime, right? Tell Elliot that he has nothing to worry about here.

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