Elemental

The first single off the album "Break It Down Again", is a poppy, tuneful, radio-friendly, and (strangely) very optimistic song, and (lyrically) was definitely in keeping with the well publicised split in the band during that era. The second single "Cold" may pull us back to Orzabal's obsession with The Beatles with it's production style, but the song itself is a classic and possibly my favourite TFF single ever. Sadly not a hit (probably more due to poor marketing and airplay rather than quality), "Cold" is filled with traditionally icy TFF melancholy, Beatles-esque vocals, dramatic Simple Minds-esque guitar work, and also backed with a wonderful promo video. The title track of the album, "Elemental", is also one of the best TFF tracks ever recorded, and is again crafted with that intriguing 'frozen-yet-catchy' quality, that is characteristic of much of Orzabal's work. Other standouts are "Power" (which could almost be a sequel to "Everybody Want To Rule The World") and the rocking "Dog's A Best Friend's Dog", whilst the gloomy sounding "Mr Pessimist" maintains the wind-chill factor but still keeps you humming along, as does the mainly instrumental atmospheric "Gas Giants". Other than these, there are three lesser tracks that I feel let the album down a little. "Fish Out Of Water" (Orzabal's thinly veiled criticism of ex-band partner Smith) might have provocative lyrics, but is devoid of anything musically interesting. "Brian Wilson Said" is a technically well made, but ultimately lifeless Beach Boys pastiche that might have worked better as a B-side, and the closing track "Goodnight Song" is certainly catchy and tuneful, but lacks any real punch with it's uninspired rock arrangement. The song further disappoints because I have always applauded Tears For Fears for their exceptional ability to end an album with a feeling of finale and dramatic flair, but this track falls far short of that ideal in everyway but it's title.

The album was justifiably Top 5 in the UK, but noticeably failed to reach the top spot or even the Top 3 like all of the previous TFF albums did. This was also to be the last Tears For Fears album made for the Phonogram label, and marked the end of the very successful 12 year relationship between band and record company. Perhaps it was Phonogram's inability to continue to market Tears For Fears the same way that Island have continually ensured U2's success, or perhaps it was not having the commercial face of Curt Smith around anymore, but this album also marked the end of TFF's commercial viability. That's not necessarily a bad thing as long as the quality is still there, and Elemental was certainly far better than Smith's dreadful solo album released the same year, but it did feel like there was something lacking in the project. The album does tend to have a cold, hard feel to it, both musically and lyrically, and yet also exhibits artistry and skill, perhaps making it the musical equivalent of an ice sculpture. This is evident even within the more upbeat, poppier tracks, but the album isn't quite as doom-laden as their debut album The Hurting, released 10 years previously. Elemental is definitely worth buying for the exceptional title track and two singles alone, but as a whole, it may fail to satisfy some people in the way that earlier Tears For Fears works did. Still highly recommended though....but not quite the jewel in the Tears For Fears crown, neither equalling or surpassing the wonderful TFF albums that came directly before or directly after it.

'Elemental' is the type of album that grows on you after a few listening, and as a package all the songs hold pretty well together, but don't expect anything like the first three albums. A departure from the 'live' feel of 'Sowing the Seeds of Love', Roland returns to drum machines and programming, this time with lyrics that are somewhat obscure in parts and have a 'poetic' quality to them. There are some nice melodies in there but certainly nothing strong enough for commercial radio, which is not necessarily a bad thing since it has given Roland the freedom to experiment more freely without feeling constraint with writing a 'hit'. Having said that, 'Break it Down Again' was a popular tune on alternative radio stations when it first came out, and is more typical of what Tears For Fears purists would expect.

Finally, for fans, listening to 'Fish Out of Water' is somewhat disheartening, since 'Fish' is a reference to Curt Smith, and the whole song is nothing more than a backstabbing session on the former band member. For the record, Curt Smith took his revenge with a song titled 'Words' in his first solo album 'Soul on Board', a personal attack on Roland Orzabal about his delusion of grandeur and philosophical superiority. Good to hear that they've now got back together for a new album 'Everybody Loves a Happy Ending' due in April 2004.

This album fits nicely with all other TFF albums and though not having the commercial stature of the groups previous three albums, this stand nicely alongside them.