Kate Bush - Aerial
Wow. Just wow.
Oh, you were expecting something a little more informative? Well, OK then—-here’s the whole story.
I’ve listened to Kate Bush for a long time, and her music has gradually worked itself into the warp and weft of my life like a sparkling gold thread. I remember walking around suburban Surrey in the rain doing my brother’s paper round, listening to ‘Breathing’ on a Walkman and feeling real fear—-what if everyone I loved died in a nuclear holocaust? ‘Never Be Mine’ drew out the pain of a relationship that was never to be, like putting a poultice on a wound. ‘Get Out of My House’: howling along with the refrain provided catharsis and helped me to reclaim my space after things had gone wrong. ‘Sensual World’: Mmmm. Yes. I could list many more, but you’ve probably got the picture1.
So I’m an informed, but also somewhat biased reviewer. I’m not uncritical of her work though—-I felt that while some of the ‘The Red Shoes’ was fantastic, other parts were a bit lacklustre. Anyway, a new Kate Bush album is a big thing for me. It’s not only a new thing in my life, but it will probably become part of my life in quite a meaningful way. When I saw the CD lying on the doormat, I was excited, but also a little frightened—-what if it just wasn’t very good?
I decided to really do the first listen justice (well, it has been 13 years since the last album). I borrowed Mr. Bsag’s lovely Grado headphones, lit a stick of my favourite incense, dimmed the lights, and listened to both discs straight through. I’ve waited to write this review until I had a chance to play the album a few more times, as Bush’s music often grows on you slowly rather than grabbing you immediately (although it sometimes does both). If you didn’t skip the first three words of this review, you already know that I really like it.
The album is a double one, with two ‘sub-albums’ within it: ‘A Sea of Honey’ and ‘A Sky of Honey’. Much like ‘Hounds of Love’, the second disc is a concept album, with the tracks merging together and a common theme of experiencing a perfect day from one dawn to the next. At first, I thought that I preferred ‘A Sky of Honey’, but with repeated listenings, I’ve become just as fond of ‘A Sea of Honey’.
Kate’s voice hasn’t deteriorated at all over the years since ‘The Red Shoes’. It’s as rich and varied as ever, plunging from a sweet and resonant tone to a sharp cry or an emotional break. There’s also what I can only describe as angry humming, laughter, breathing and bird imitation. She certainly knows how to use her voice to the utmost. She can also inject feeling into literally any subject. Her rendering of Ï to 116 decimal places is a revelation on ‘Ï’. I’m no mathematician, and regard numbers with distrust, but at the end of the song, I felt that Ï was indeed beautiful. On ‘Mrs. Bartolozzi’, she creates an incredible atmosphere which is deeply ambiguous. You can read it as woman doing her washing and daydreaming about her man standing behind her in the sea, or you can imagine that he has been murdered or has died suddenly, and she is shocked or guilty and imagining him there while washing his clothes. I can’t think of any other songwriter who can create so many possibilities within the same song, which flicker like that ‘vase/face’ optical illusion.
‘Bertie’ could be horribly saccharine, but the Renaissance musical style and her obvious simple and unconditional love for ‘luverly Bertie’ makes it impossible for me to dislike. I suspect that others (probably including ‘luverly Bertie’ himself when he hits puberty) may have a different opinion. ‘How to be Invisible’ is a rather witty song about privacy which contains a spell of invisibility:
Eye of Braille Hem of anorak Stem of wallflower Hair of doormat
The disc ends beautifully with ‘A Coral Room’, which is a moving song about the fragility of time, and how quickly things can slip away from us. Like many of her songs, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
‘A Sky of Honey’ is shot through with bird song. It starts with wood pigeons calling, and fragments of blackbird calls and gull cries run through the whole thing. The one dodgy moment in the whole album is Rolf Harris’s contributions on ‘An Architect’s Dream’ and ‘The Painter’s Link’, but even that becomes endearing after a couple of listens. The songs ‘Sunset’, ‘Somewhere in Between’ and ‘Nocturn’ are all unbearably beautiful, and show Kate’s seductive way with words to the full. The way that she sings the lines, “Where sands sing in crimson, red and rust/Then climb into bed and turn to dust”, and “The sea’s around our legs/In milky, silky water” makes my knees go weak. Goodness knows what kind of effect it has on sensitive straight men and gay women.
She also imitates bird song. Actually, ‘imitates’ is the wrong word—-it’s more like jazz improvisation with a the bird, riffing and reveling in the challenge of making the human voice sound like bird song, without imitating it. On ‘Aerial’, she weaves her laughter into the blackbird’s song, and you suddenly see how similar they are in structure. I thought that was a moment of genius, and it makes me smile each time I listen to it.
Both discs, but particularly ‘A Sky of Honey’ are joyful and somehow serene. If you can imagine experiencing the most perfect day outside, surrounded by nature, that’s how it makes you feel. If this album is any indication, Kate Bush is now a very happy woman, and it shows in her music. Personally, I think that ‘Aerial’ is her best work since ‘Hounds of Love’, and since I think that is one of the best albums ever, that’s high praise.
1 As an illustration of how integrated Kate Bush’s music is in my life, note the fact that I used two album titles in the first two paragraphs, without even noticing. â
1
I didn't know "Wow" was an album titleâ¦----- Raphael: Doh! I meant song title...
by bsag @ 13/11/2005 9:12 pm • Permalink •
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Heh, my all-time-favorite from Kate Bush (and much my personal song) is Babooshka. And will allways be. And I am quite irritated that her new album still isn't available in iTMS Germany ... Dang ...
by hugo @ 13/11/2005 11:11 pm • Permalink •
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Musically, I think Aerial is a great piece of work, but lyrically, oh dear... :-(
by ted_groony @ 14/11/2005 8:12 am • Permalink •
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I was going to put a review on my own website, but I think you have said it perfectly. I too felt uncertain about listening for the first time, hoping I wouldn't be disappointed. I wasn't. It's great to hear an artist pushing the boundaries.
by Stuart Eglin @ 14/11/2005 8:12 am • Permalink •
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bsag, I go woozy just from hearing Kate sing the words "little brown jug," so you can imagine what some of those other lines do to me.
Great review. I agree it's a special album that deserves undivided attention. I've been substituting the incense for single-malt whiskey.
by Jed @ 14/11/2005 6:11 pm • Permalink •
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As much as I love her, Kate Bush does, as have so many pop song lyricists, occasionally used a rhyme merely because it scans and fits. The classic being, of course, "A Whiter Shade of Pale", which does not bear any kind of deconstruction.
We danced a light fandango, Turned cartwheels cross the floor, The moon was kind of seasick, And the band cried out for more......
Total nonsense, but lacking the style of Lewis Caroll.
On a cheap 1960s transistor radio, you couldn't hear the words too well, so gargantuan liberties were taken with the English language.
She has been shut away for years, and needed a good editor to tell her that some of the lyrics just wont do.
But by heck, can she create a mood and lay down a melodic line.
by Jonathan Briggs @ 14/11/2005 6:11 pm • Permalink •
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Oh agreed, it's wonderful. My only gripe was that after pre-ordering it from Amazon, it took bl**dy Royal Mail till Wednesday to get it to me.
by tony @ 15/11/2005 10:12 am • Permalink •
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Hugo: I actually went for a real lump of shiny plastic for this one. Reasonable though the audio quality of ITMS tracks is, it's always going to be better on an uncompressed CD.
ted groony and Jonathan Briggs: I can't say that I agree about the lyrics. I think that she's always used some nonsense passages, just because she likes the sound of them, and that's fine by me. She does also write quite profound and meaningful lyrics too, and that's fine by me too. However, I admit that if anybody else tried to sing the decimal places of pi, I would think it was rubbish. It's the way she sings it
Stuart Eglin: Thanks! And yes, there's quite a bit of boundary crossing going on in Aerial.
Jed:
Ooo, yes, single malt would work for me too, preferably something peaty and from Islay.
tony: Have you ever tried play.com? I pre-ordered mine from them, and it turned up on Monday---the day of release.
Martyn Cruxton: Nocturn is one of my favourites too. It actually makes me want to go and find a nice bit of sea to go skinny dipping in at night. In November. That's talent.
by bsag @ 16/11/2005 6:12 pm • Permalink •
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Aerial by Kate is the most wonderful album I have heard since Hounds of Love, Seventh Wave. It's just great that she's back. I truly love this LP but especially Sky of Honey. All the tracks are amazing - Kate makes other artists sound so uncreative and unimaginative. Nocturn? Simply the best song I have ever heard, is so beautiful, her voice is gorgeous. I really don't want her to go away for another 12 years!
by Martyn Cruxton @ 16/11/2005 6:12 pm • Permalink •
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It's a terrific album. Like all her stuff, it gets better and better with each listening. I, too, was a little concerned after being a bit disappointed in THE RED SHOES, but this is an excellent return. Makes me hopeful that she won't wait so long for a next one. The critiicisms of her lyrics are overblown here.
by Jim @ 16/11/2005 10:11 pm • Permalink •
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It's quite wonderful to find out again with the release of this album that I'm not alone in being passionate about Kate's music.
I enjoyed reading your review and would like to add that (at the moment, after repeated listening) my favorites are:
Sunset Lovely melodies set in a jazzy mood suddenly get spiced up with a luscious latin feel. Sounds/feels like the perfect warm afternoon watching the.. well.. sunset!
Mrs Bartolozzi The first time in (over) 20 years that a song brings back the same melancholy mood I've come to love in "All The Love" which to me has always been the perfect follow-up to my absolute favorite song: "Night Of The Swallow".
Martyn Cruxton: Your little slip ("seventh" in stead of "ninth") makes me wonder if you like Sting's "The Dream Of The Blue Turtles"...
by P.J. van der Kraats @ 16/11/2005 10:12 pm • Permalink •
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I'm one of those Americans who quietly has adored Kate Bush music over the years. The Dreaming is still, in my opinion, comparable only to an album like Dark Side of the Moon. That said, this one comes in second place!
I agree that she sounds happier, more whole, older--obviously. As always when an artist is a visionary, it's what's in the silence behind the music that's transmitted. In that capacity, it's all spirit. Listening to her best songs reminds us that we are spirit, after all.
If it takes another twelve years, so be it. It's worth it.
by Gabriel @ 18/11/2005 3:11 am • Permalink •
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Hi,
I first heard Kate Bush when I was but a child many years ago---I think it was around 1975 or so. She was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live and sang "Them Heavy People", and maybe "The Man With The Child In His Eyes". I was completely enthralled instantly. But I had no idea who she was. Many years later, I was in a music store and chanced upon her album, "The Kick Inside" and I have been a fan ever since.
The video "Live at the Hammersmith" is absolutely amazing.
I've been waiting a long time for her to come out with another album.
by Daryl McCullough @ 19/11/2005 1:12 am • Permalink •
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Alert! I've just noticed that there's an interview with Kate on BBC Radio 2 tonight at 8:30pm. Should be interesting. Those not in the UK should be able to listen via the BBC website with the 'Listen Live' feature.
by bsag @ 19/11/2005 3:11 pm • Permalink •
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I can't believe what this album is doing for me, as a 38-year-old adult instead of an 18-year-old excitable new person whose world suddenly became far deeper with "Hounds of Love." After about ten listens to this new album, I wonder if I am actually enjoying it MORE than "Hounds" ?? I feel like something extremely special was just given to the world and especially the last two songs are making me cry all happy happy; and I really enjoyed reading your review. Thanks.
by Greg Schlotthauer @ 21/11/2005 5:12 am • Permalink •
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Album of the year. Here you can find another positive review: http://www.infomusic.pl/recenzjewiecej.php?idrec=458
by Al Jarreau @ 28/11/2005 4:11 pm • Permalink •
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Album of the year. Here you can find another positive review: http://www.infomusic.pl/recenzje_muzyczne.php
by Al Jarreau @ 28/11/2005 4:12 pm • Permalink •
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she is part of a few lives mine being one of them. Since I was 18 which was in '78 which was a while ago now. Being a part of you life doesnt mean that we cant hear critically, it doesnt mean that we're senseless about her. We hear we sing we listen... we appreciate good music and lyrics. Its just that Aerial has taken me by surprise as I didnt expect it to be so beautiful and enjoyable. I just love it all from the wrenching simplicity of Coral Room to the joy and laughter of Aerial. Also all of the Blackbirds in my neighbourhood love it ... no joke they all line up on the fence and listen and sing!!! I hope she's not tampered with them, what if they're singing sunset at dawn or something. This album will carry me for another 15 years.
by gursel ali - australia @ 30/11/2005 1:11 am • Permalink •
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You might just have tipped the scales for me. Off to Amazon now....
by Jams @ 03/12/2005 11:13 pm • Permalink •
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happyman again -last 4 on a sky of honey, just to be clear! but if a sky is 100% a sea is already 99. x
by happyman @ 14/12/2005 10:12 am • Permalink •
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i'm enthralled, esp by the last 4 on ASOH - also i hope 'How to be invisible' is next single - it should push Aerial back up charts after a disappointingly short initial appearance in top10.Or how about uncut 8:34 mins of nocturn as next 45??????? on 12"???? I can dream.love to all aerialists x
by happyman @ 14/12/2005 10:13 am • Permalink •
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I didn't think she would be back again and then I read a short piece about Kate in the Times. Had to buy it, listened to 'Sky of Honey' first. Loved the bird song. The last track 'Ariel' was wonderfully euphoric, had me laughing too! I've now got into the !st C.D. and thought the Mrs Bartolozzi lyrics a bit odd, but she has turned ordinary everyday activities in to something sensual in the way she sings it.
by Michelle @ 14/12/2005 3:12 pm • Permalink •
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one of the great music returns,ever... this is a masterpiece... i can be emotionally cold person,at times...but shes had me moved to tears,with this album... in a sea of blandness,kate rises to take her place with the greats.. madonna sells more,but who has the real soul...
by alan @ 15/12/2005 5:13 pm • Permalink •
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Gursel here again just checking to see whats on. I 'm moving through the album and stop for a while at a song and then move to another. I was with Nocturn for a while now Prologue is moving me. This is so much fun. I played this album for an artist freind of mine the other day who said she hated kate bush. She burst into tears and all of her hair stood on end during Coral Room and then throughout the second album We seemed to agree that Kate is up to something here. You just cant put your finger on it. It sounds like nothing I've ever heard before. I've never heard music like this in my life. I bought ten copies of it yesterday and finished my Xmas shopping. happy listening gursel
by gursel ali - australia @ 19/12/2005 4:12 am • Permalink •
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P.J. :Yep, you're right - I meant 9th Wave not 7th Wave ! Thanks for correction - can't beleive I did that ! Still can't stop listening to her - but now gone back to Hounds of Love and JH Exp Electric Ladyland for the rest of the week.
by Martyn Cruxton @ 02/01/2006 8:02 pm • Permalink •
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