The cool kids call this 'Industrial Goth", the grown ups call it noise. Those of us who have been mass consumers of music for decades call it what it really is- a mid life crisis.
Gary Numan is one of the most innovative and underrated musicians The poor dear burst on the seen with "Cars" and with weird alien video established himself as a weirdo. The doughy face and dark lined eyes only added to the Pee Wee Herman from Mars persona and that really awkward voice and you have nothing more than a cult hero and perhaps a shot at VH1's One Hit Wonders.
The problem is that amongst this fringe genre, Numan is amazing. The new album is a grungier darker sound but its still alien rock and at age 53, its time for a bit less black hair dye.
Numan is quoted as saying, “The original ideas behind these songs are now barely visible,” he explains. “In the last nine months, the album has grown into another animal, something more experimental and fluid. It’s ended up being something I’m really very proud of.”
So this is a potpourri of weirdness and clicks filled with periodic nasal belows and the clomping of what i believe to be a coconut shell on a cookie sheet.
There is a niche for this type of stuff. There is a group of cool cats who will call this 'brilliant', they will 'get it' and the lyrics will 'touch them'. Basically thought that's just bull for wanna be art students.
There is a shining star on this LP though- the song "When The Sky Bleeds, He Will Come", is a pretty good rock out song on an otherwise workroom hodge podge.
I appreciate alot about Numan. I adored his earlier work because it was so unique and lets face it the guy was a fox. But now? Its just a really sad attempt to be fringe when fringe has already woven itself in to tapestry of sound. I feel a bit bad for him. I expected more. Maybe a bit of evolution instead of a repeat of what we have already heard only older and more tired.
Sometime its better to just allow yourself to change and grow rather than stay just the same. This new album is an auditory mullet.
Grade: C-