Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Graffiti Soul - Review, 9 April 2009
MOSCOW UNDERGROUND : Brooding, dark opener, with a visceral Eddie Duffy bassline which relentlessly kicks at the senses. Multi-textured dense song on nodding terms with Swimming Towards The Sun, sneaking the guitar riff from the Mind's 2003 retelling of White Light/White Heat. Dark lyrics linger on darkness, loneliness and a world out of control.
ROCKETS : Upbeat Charlie Burchill rocker from the Gordon Goudie/Charlie Burchill partnership with a riff that embeds itself in your brain. Chosen as the first single, but that was a tough choice for someone to make.
STARS WILL LEAD THE WAY : Another single contender, another song built around one of Charlie's unforgettable riffs. A double-whammy on the senses when heard immediately after Rockets.
LIGHT TRAVELS : Light travels across the universe and all is well and all will remain well. A slow, Bowie style chill out track from the pen of Sean Kelly - but completely unlike Spaceface.
KISS AND FLY : Slow burner with an infectious chorus and crashing familiar guitar work from Charlie. Faint echoes of Mighty Joe Moon in the guitar sound.
GRAFFITI SOUL : Another grower built on a chunky bassline and progressive guitar chords. The most lyrically familiar song from the set with many references to "Lightning" and "Footsteps."
BLOOD TYPE O : Quirky enigmatic track with exotic overtones thanks to the dulcimers used during the chorus. Only track on the album with the main melody on keyboards with Charlie's effects liberally spread over the whole track. Ends with a bubbly cacophony of blood monitoring machines.
THIS IS IT : Full bloodied triumphant fist pounding optimistic closure which sees the album out on a high. Another great Charlie number has he relentlessly cycles through the wonderful riff as the song builds to a crescendo. This Is It is not the full stop or terminal statement of the album but a mandate for the future:
|
|
|
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Got Soul?, 21 April 2009
...well come on in then..!
The last Simple Minds album, "Black & White 050505" [2005], was a decent record, but perhaps somewhat obvious compared to the two previous albums "Cry" [2002] and "Our Secrets Are The Same" [2003]. Jim Kerr wanted a "landmark" album, what I think it ended up being was a band wanting to sound like what Simple Minds were 'supposed' to sound like. Don't be confused! It is a fine album with hindsight, just lacking in some areas, still, do investigate!
Here's the good news; with this new record, we're generally spared the "hey let's be back in the charts" schtick and there is much more focus on good songwriting, something that exemplified the 2002 and 2003 releases mentioned above. 8 songs; the consistancy is back on the wonderfully driving "Moscow Underground" familiar yet exciting, the perfect opener. The single "Rockets" is [to these ears at least] perhaps the weakest of the new material [a common Minds problem when it comes to recent first singles] but is not a bad song. Next up is "Stars Will lead The Way" too short and sweet and is perhaps the obvious comeback single, [watch this space!] it elbows it's way into the room where "Rockets" just shuffles hoping to be noticed. Simple Minds debuted "Rockets" as the first new song from this collection and many inlcuding myself were unimpressed, however it isn't particularly symbolic of the record as a whole.
The title song is an excellent groove [the groove is back!], echoing some of 1998's flawed, but rather fine, "Neapolis". "Light Travels' written by Sean Kelly, has been on the Minds shelf for sometime and only now brought to life, it is worth the wait, slow and sultry, with a guitar echoing 1995's single "Hypnotised" and a real opportunity for some er... "singalong" in it's "hello, hello" hook.
The final song "This Is It", is a fabulous song, one of those first listen tunes we all hope for now and again by our favourite artists, lyrically recalling an album like "Street Fighting Years" [1989] but with the kind of dynamic that era lacked. The rhythm section never really has a break on the record and given the fact that Simple Minds music was built on that very aspect, it is good to see that so prevalent again, ta, Mr Duffy and Mr Gaynor.
The covers project "In Search Of The Lost Boys" is obviously a sticking point for many fans and they pull off some better than others; Simple Minds were never really a "kick over the mic stand and flip the audience the bird.." kind of 'rawk' band, so on some of the covers it doesn't quite gel, however they do a decent run through of Siouxie's "Christine" and an interesting turn on "Teardrop" [Massive Attack]
Funny, "Teardrop" -> Liz Frazer -> Cocteau Twins who took their name from an early Minds song "..full circle again.." indeed Jim!
Very good album.
|
|
|
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leaked Tracks are Amazing! Strongly recommend this one, 20 April 2009
The six or so tracks I've heard so far (cd isn't out yet) have really grabbed my attention. The other two reviewers have done the "Big Picture" and song-by-song lowdown, so I'll keep it short and sweet. Suffice to say, Simple Minds are still swinging and there's a lot of energy housed in their bat. Indeed, "Moscow Underground" and "This Is It" hit homeruns, straight out of the ballpark!
There's an undeniable energy and integrity to this band, a refusal to sit back and rest on its laurels or take the easy way out by writing pablum simply for the sake of charting. The new tracks are true to the band's legacy without rehashing formulas that worked very well for them in the past. It's what we've come to expect from a Simple Minds album -- but that's not to say it's predictable. Far from it. The music industry has changed since New Gold Dream, so have music-buyers - and the band's sound has evolved right along with 'em.
I strongly recommend this album -- esp. to anyone who may have drifted away over the years and forgotten what a powerhouse Simple Minds really is.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
