![]() ![]() The sophomore album from British acid jazz band the Brand New Heavies features a host of collaborations. 1 returns to vinyl after more than a decade. S1 - INTRODUCTION-BLIMPS, 2 LIFE IN THE AIR AGE, 3 FAIR EXCHANGE, 4 PIECE OF MINE, SISTER SEAGULL S2 - 1 MILL STREET JUNCTION, 2 SHIPS IN THE NIGHT, 3 SWANSONG, 4 MAID IN HEAVEN S3 - 1 SHINE, 2 ADVENTURES IN A YORKSHIRE LANDSCAPE S4- BILL NELSON'S INTRODUCTION, 2 TWIGHLIGHT CAPERS, 3 MODERN MUSIC SUITE S5 - 1 FORBIDDEN LOVERS, 2 TERMINAL STREET S6 - 1 BLAZING APOSTLESĪ must-have for any hip-hop fan’s record collection, Heavy Rhyme Experience: Vol. Cut at Abbey Road Studios and pressed on white vinyl, this special Record Store Day limited edition release is a fitting tribute to a fine live band and the creative vision of Bill Nelson. The recording reveals the improvisational side of Be Bop Deluxe, particularly on pieces such as “Shine” and “Blazing Apostles” which made each Be Bop Deluxe concert unique. Tayler and is presented here on vinyl for the very first time. But in 2021, and with ‘Intruder’, he’s chiming with the times – and sounding thrillingly relevant in the process.The concert recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in London on 26th March 1977, was one of the stand-outs from that memorable tour and it has been mixed by Stephen W. This record’s author has always sounded slightly out of time – he was austerely futurist in 1979 and then, amid the electro-boom of the early 2000s – which included Sugababes reaching Number One by sampling ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ – was one of the few acts who perversely wasn’t trying to sound like Gary Numan. Abetted by his long-term producer Ade Fenton, Numan here conjures up a storm of noise and chillingly sinister soundscapes, whether it’s the blast-furnace percussion of the title track, or the windswept love-in-the-gloom of ‘Now And Forever’. ‘Black Sun’ stars out as a plaintive piano lament, before rising into a Depeche Mode-shaped howl of doom-laden despair. Partially written and recorded during lockdown, ‘The Gift’ is that rarity of a pandemic-influenced song that doesn’t tip its tinfoil-hat to conspiracy theories ( a la Van Morrison and Ian Brown), while its disconcerting electronics make it sound like Trent Reznor entering Eurovision. There are uniformly big choruses throughout (particularly on barnstorming single ‘Saints and Liars’), sleazily paced anthemics, stark analogue synths and myriad references to his classic sounds. It pulls off the veteran artist high-wire act of sounding fresh and ambitious while still retaining his core DNA. On paper, it might sound like it has the potential to be toweringly naff, but ‘Intruder’ unfolds as a cinematic experience that ripples with menace. The track-titles ‘Betrayal’, ‘I Am Screaming’, ‘And It Breaks Me Again’ – say it all. Inspired by a poem by his 11-year-old daughter, its concept ramps up the bombast, exploring global warming from the earth’s perspective, where the planet is angry, let down and ready to fight back. Sounding like Greta Thunberg in the local goth-disco, it furthers his fascination with ecological collapse and heavy industrial electronics. Numan’s late-career glow-up continues apace with ‘Intruder’. He’s been the chart-topping suburban android who caused David Bowie pangs of jealousy, successfully moved beyond the ‘90s wilderness years to enjoy his greatest commercial success since the ‘80s (his 2017’s ‘Savage: Songs From a Broken World’ reached Number Two in the charts) and is cited as an influence by everyone from Tyler, The Creator to Nine Inch Nails. And he’s learned a thing or two about survival after 45 years in the game. Gary Numan is one of pop’s hardened doomsday preppers, his albums long imagining robot-led dystopias or the end of days.
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