Recently I have been exploring the music of Kate Bush, specifically, her album The Hounds of Love. I have heard isolated songs by her in past on the radio and in other places but I have never taken the time to listen to a whole album by her. I really enjoyed the album’s quirkiness it is hard to imagine a collection of music containing tracks as strange as Jig Of Life being a commercial success today. Femininity is one of the key themes of the album whether it being persecuted (Waking The Witch) or longing for the masculine (Cloudbusting). Further, the cover of the album and many of the songs have a sensuous feel to them. Very little of the strong themes in the album are stated explicitly, rather, Bush hints at them through oblique lyrically references and strange allusions to such obscura as “Orgonon” and the shoes she is discarding in Hounds of Love. The strangeness of the lyrics throughout the album is matched by a bizarre and interesting blend of different musical styles. Music heavily based on samples (Waking The Witch, Running Up That Hill) is paired with Celtic music (Jig Of Live). The whole album is wonderfully idiosyncratic and at time surreal. The Hounds Of Love is one of my new favorites.

I have also been listening to the equally strange album by Genesis: Selling England By The Pound. Genesis are another band that I have never taken the time to listen to closely. My expectation before listening to the album was that the music would be quite soft, I was surprised to hear how brash the music is sections and in particular how aggressive and forward Phil Collin’s drumming is. I wonder if it is albums like this that were part of creating the sub-genre that is inelegantly labelled as “progressive rock”. All the tropes that people associate with such music are present here: long solos, extended song forms, unconventional instrumentation and lyrics that are concerned with intricate narratives and grand conceptual themes. Whilst many of these devices may seem cliché I think it is Genesis who invented some of these tropes in the first place so they should be spared this particular criticism. My favourite track is Dancing with the Moonlight Knight, there is an interesting mix of archaic and new. The unexpected tempo changes and transitions between sections adds a excitement to the music.

The Battle of Epping Forest is needlessly long, section on after section is visited on the listener without a strong musical logic backing the compositional choices. However, in retrospect the song is a interesting study how a reputation of an area can change over time. I lived near Epping Forest a few years ago, at that time it was definitely not the sort of area that could have been visited with gang land violence; I imagine it must have been rougher in the 70s. Similar to The Hounds of Love there is a charming quirkiness present in much of the music, this is especially in evidence on the track I Know What I Like (In your Wardrobe) the lyrics are very opaque and I cannot decide for myself what the song in about. For the surrealist elements in the song (the protagonist describing himself as a lawn mower and lingering in a wardrobe for unknown reasons) mask whatever the more direct meaning, if any, that the song is meant to contain. Further, the use of sitar throughout the song adds to the songs dream like and strange quality especially when paired with other more conventional instruments. It taps into a particular feeling of suburban weirdness where strange routines are coloured by memories of gossip and a detached obliviousness. There is certainly more to investigate here.

I have also been listening to some of Peter Gabriel’s solo work, namely, In Your Eyes and Don’t Give Up. In Your Eyes is something of musical oddity the light feel of the instrumental elements of the song are in a sort benign conflict with the sadness expressed in the lyrics. By contrast Don’t Give Up is far more straightforward for me, the power of the song comes from Kate Bush’s excellent singing and the strong contrast between her chorus and Gabriel’s verses. The message of the song: embracing hope in the face of darkness is eternally relevant.

I have also being listening Muse’s new album The Will of The People. From what I have seen from the music videos the concept of the album is an Orwellian dystopia (a topic Muse have used before) . What differentiates this from previous release is that in this case the band style themselves in the role of the dictatorial rulers whose monumental statues are depicted on the album cover and some of the music videos. Their are interesting metaphorical implications of this depiction that are worth exploring. Showing the members of Muse as part of once powerful but now failing regime could be an oblique commentary on their own career and anxiety that they are no longer as important as a band as they used, this could also be construed as a reference to the collapse in popularity of rock music in general. My favourite track in compliance (the first letters of all the song titles are inexplicably lower case) which has some cool interaction between the drums and the rest of the band. Great rhythm section playing on this track has been missing from some Muse’s recent output. Thematically, perhaps unintentionally, the lyrics chime with the endless bureaucracy, and restriction of freedoms we have had to endure during the pandemic. Further, in the video medication is presented as the solution to all problems, an idea we are all too familiar with.

Overall, The Will Of The People represents something of a return to form for Muse. However, there are some tracks that should have been left out: the title track is driven by a simplistic and boring melody. In a few places the influence of Queen in once again present especially in liberation, it feels like a rip-off. Also, on this track and throughout the album the drums a very compressed to the point that it becomes unmusical. Another track deserving of censure is the totally stupid we are f-cking f-cked and the equally idiotic you make me feel like it’s hawolleen. Some judicious editing could have really benefited this album, for if the weaker tracks are culled the album it would be a far stronger musical statement.

I you have any thoughts on what I should listen to next please leave a comment.