Strong, powerful, broad in scope, but also warm, tender emotional songs abound in this impressive, expansive return by the British artist with his first LP of new work in 21 years (since 2002’s Up), with many great collaborators including co-producer Brian Eno, and each of the 12 tracks with both Bright-Side and Dark-Side stereo mix. The difference between these versions is more of musical hue and balance than mood, perhaps a lunar reference, with a single release every full moon this year to herald this long-time, coming album, beginning with former Song of the Day, Panopticon, back in January.
The themes are expansive – the fate of planet Earth and our place in it, the passing of time, mortality and grief, injustice, surveillance and the roots of terrorism. Gabriel’s voice is a strong as ever, his style variously dramatic, theatrical, profound, resonant, wide in range, and intimate, and with that characteristically pristine sound production in his legendary home Real World Studios. Guests, alongside Eno, include guitarist David Rhodes, bassist Tony Levin and drummer Manu Katché, Richard Russell, Ríoghnach Connolly of The Breath, the Soweto Gospel Choir and Swedish all-male choir Oprhei Drängar, the New Blood Orchestra led by John Metcalfe and others. As well as Panopticom, there are several standouts including Road To Joy, the title track (I’m just part of everything/ I stand on two legs and I learn to sing / … We all belong to everything / To the octopus' suckers and the buzzard’s wing / To the elephant’s trunk and buzzing bee’s sting’), the cleverly rhythm The Court, the slower, melancholy Playing For Time, the close-mic, candid time-themed So Much, and This Is Home.
An expansive project, the accompanying videos also feature a vareity of artwork collaborations by many notable names, including Ai Weiwei, Nick Cave, Olafur Eliasson, Henry Hudson, Annette Messager, Antony Micallef, David Moreno, Cornelia Parker, Megan Rooney, Tim Shaw, David Spriggs and Barthélémy Toguo. See the playlist below beginning with Panopticom. Timeless, inspiring, and impressive work. Out on Real World.
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