rock and roll musings by Tim Byrnes

LOVE WILL TEAR US APART

Kate Bush/Aerial

     To say that I held high expectations for this record would be an understatement. I've always looked to the music of Kate Bush for some kind of reaffirmation of the existence of true beauty; that there does indeed exist in the world that essence rare, that sublime creation sprung forth from a wholly human soul that embodies all in life that is better than the best like a combination of nostalgia, sex and really, really, really good chocolate. 'Aerial' doesn't so much disappoint as confound. My confusion is, I'm sure, due to being overwhelmed by so much music at one time and attempting to sum my feelings up in a review before the spin cycle's complete, so to speak.

     The first rush of hearing Kate's voice on the opener 'King of the Mountain' must be what heroin feels like. A letter from a long, lost friend (it has, after all been 12 years since her last record' The Red Shoes', a record that still spells that time of my life for me, and as a result holds a very dear place in my heart.) that speaks in different voices than much of her previous work. More personal and on a smaller, though no less glorious a scale than, say, 'The Dreaming' or 'Hounds of Love', 'Aerial' flies on the wings of real pianos more than the electropoptronic madness of earlier work, although synths do pop and electrodrums loop herein, they do so in service of a, to me, more organic, more cohesive whole. Meshing with one of the most beautiful voices to ever come from a human throat, the electronics and jazz tinged trios support and caress and lift these songs on high in a magnificent combination of grace and technique.

     I miss the blood curdling screams of 'The Dreaming' as I miss the Trio Bulgarka's other worldly backing vocals, but not that much really. 'Aerial' tells more human tales, songs of motherhood ('Bertie'), the loss of Kate's own mother ('A Coral Room'), the aforementioned celebrity skinning of 'King of the Mountain' which name checks Elvis P. and Citizen Kane, easy targets to be sure, but touchstones guaranteed to touch a chord in all of us, no? More precise and Katelike, to me, is 'Joanni', apparently a love song to Joan of Arc and is the record's closest sounding tune to 'classic' Kate. The 1st CD is subtitled 'A Sea of Honey' and contains te unrelated tunes mentioned while the 2nd CD is subtitled 'A Sky of Honey' and is a conceptual piece/suite, piano driven and lowkeyed and smooth, tracing the course of one day. Which is all we get, right? One day at a time.

     The subleties of this record will, I'm sure, reveal themselves to me upon subsequent listenings, as Kate's music is not the kind to give up all it's secrets at once. But having only owned this CD these 2 days now it has made me laugh and cry and regret and wonder. It has told me tales of my own life; not all of which were/are comfortable to hear. By singing her own life, Kate Bush helps me to look harder, smarter and more honestly at my own and, really, isn't that what great art is supposed to do?

Posted by: timbyrnes at 21:19 | link | comments (10)

Comments:

#1  10 November 2005 - 22:06

 

Oh yeah. Tell it.

Anonymous

#2  11 November 2005 - 17:04

 

BTW, a really great Kate review (it's the 2nd of 3 for this week) can be found at http://www.tm3am.com/index.htm. Nothin' personal, tim, but THAT guy's my favorite music-review blog. But you'll see why soon enough. :D

Anonymous

#3  11 November 2005 - 21:48

 

Carl, because of the Mike Roe review? I mean the guy's not bad but come on!!??

timbyrnes

#4  11 November 2005 - 22:59

 

Oh, he IS that good, byrnes -- get over it. YOU write yr own Fun with Sound, The Boat Ashore, Funky Crow Thang, et al., and THEN I'll back off. :PPP

But really, I just really like the guy's writing, not to mention that it's nice that he's willing to give certain other artists from "the ghetto" the props they deserve. From what I can tell from his other columns, he's still somewhere on the other side of the question but's willing to take the blinders off and judge the music on its own merits.

And, that all aside, that WAS a kickin' review of Kate's album, doncha think? :D

Anonymous

#5  16 November 2005 - 22:12

 

Yo yo yo! I wasn't referring to Roe w/my original comment, but the blogger. I actually found the Kate review to be a little bland, I got no sense of the writer. I suppose that's what a reviewer is supposed to do, keep his own personality out of the review, but where's the fun in that? I already know what I thought of the record. His review was descriptive enough but I didn't feel he gave any insight as to what it meant to him. Which to me is where the meat is. And as far as writing my own 'Fun With Sound' etc., not gonna happen 'cause me and this Roe fella are 2 different musicians and I'd never suggest he write HIS 'Black Is Beautiful'.
tb

timbyrnes

#6  16 November 2005 - 22:28

 

OK, gotcha. Hmm, you thought that? Maybe it wasn't as out front as above, but I thought comments like:

"'Pi' is absolutely stunning, a tale of mathematical obsession that somehow manages to make repeating numbers the most painfully beautiful thing you’ve ever heard."

and

"What we have here is the spectacle of a most original artist marshalling all of her forces to capture and toast the ordinary. Aerial is panoramic, hugely expansive, and yet about very little.... but to these ears, it is enthralling, one of the best pieces of the year. In fact, in a year already full to bursting with masterpieces, Aerial stands tall, one of the most distinctive and successful records I have heard. It is beholden to no trends, it sounds out of time, and it bears no resemblance to anything else on the shelves. In short, it is pure Kate Bush, in all of its baffling wonder. And it was well worth the wait."

....to be personally meaningful enough. :D

Anonymous

#7  16 November 2005 - 22:31

 

Oh yeah, and...

"And as far as writing my own 'Fun With Sound' etc., not gonna happen 'cause me and this Roe fella are 2 different musicians and I'd never suggest he write HIS 'Black Is Beautiful'."

Maybe so. But something tells me "Dave's Blues" would complement it better than you think. But I'll just have to wait for the proof like everyone else... :D

Anonymous

#8  16 November 2005 - 22:42

 

possibly. maybe, maybe not and who really cares. listen, i'm tired and irritable, don't mean to take it out on you or roe or anyone. well, maybe jim.
tb

timbyrnes

#9  16 November 2005 - 22:50

 

Don't sweat it. I don't feel taken-out-on at all. But Jim: Have at it.... :D

Anonymous

#10  26 November 2005 - 13:19

 

excellent review, profond thinking and i can see Kate touches so many people including myself............

Anonymous

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