I suppose I could have gone for any of his later albums. If you want to, as I do, pick one from each decade (seventies excluded as he really only had the two album then, apart from the one with Tubeway Army, and both of them are quite well known) then there are four to choose from in the twenty-first century, leaving aside two reissues. But I thought the best way to wrap this up was to check out his latest offering, and so here it is.
Splinter (Songs from a broken mind) --- Gary Numan --- 2013 (Mortal)
This could be the biggest test for me yet. Twelve tracks --- the most of any Numan album I’ve reviewed up to now --- and nothing much under four minutes. Looks like it’s mostly himself on the album, with a little help from the odd guitarist --- Steve Harris? Not
the Steve Harris? From Iron Maiden? I somehow doubt that. This must be checked!
No, as I expected a different Steve Harris, from some folk band called Archive. Phew! Knew the king of metal wouldn’t be seen dead playing on an electronica record! Anyway, moving swiftly on, apparently this is his highest chart position since 1983, which is surprising considering he’s not one of these artistes who don’t release an album for ten years and then hope to capitalise on the sudden influx of fans old and new buying their albums. Numan has been steadily releasing material right through the 1990s and 2000s, with the one prior to this only having hit the shops in 2011. So it’s not like his fans have been starved of his music. Must be good then.
I note too that the album sleeve is quite similar to “I, assassin”, though the music is definitely more in the “Exiles” line, at least from the big heavy industrial opening of “I am dust”. Definitely more powerful than the album just reviewed though, with punching, slamming synthwork and heavy percussion, again we must assume electronically reproduced, as there is no drummer credited. Good strong opening, very much keyboard driven with some good backing vocals. “Here in the black” showcases the talents of guitarist Tim Muddiman, with a very intriguing whispered vocal from Numan, then “Everything comes down to this” is the first Numan song I’ve heard where the man actually shows some emotion, even passion. It’s a powerful song, driven on thick bassy synth and howling keys, then there’s a lot of Japan and some Ultravox in “The calling”, with a rather nice strings-ish synth passage a little way in. Slower too than anything else on the album to datre, though I wouldn’t call it a ballad.
Kind of a rolling, muted, almost jungle rhythm then to the title track, chanting adding to the otherworldly feel of it and also lending it an eastern tinge and it’s another slowish track, driven on kind of marching drums and low, dark piano. Sort of a slow, grindy feel to it. Not bad at all really. “Lost” has a gorgeously dark and doomy bass piano line that builds up really nicely. It’s almost the only instrument accompanying his voice at the beginning of the song. I actually think I may have heard this, or something very similar, and it has a very lo-fi indie rock sound to it. If I heard this outside of this album (as I have mentioned I may already have) I don’t think I would peg it as a Gary Numan song at all. Some nice industrial sounds on it but mostly it’s like one of those indie ballads you hear on dramas like “The Vampire Diaries” and such. Must admit though, I do like it.
A much heavier, growlier feel to the next track, “Love hurt bleed”, with a very eighties-style keyboard riff running through it. Hard guitar and thumping percussion with a real sense of energy and anger, then the overall ominous feel remains for “A shadow falls on me”, with a vocal so falsetto that for a moment I thought Gary had hired a guest female singer! A short song, shortest on the album in fact at just over three minutes, but a decent one, then we’re into “Where I can never be”, with dark, echoing synth and hollow percussion, some nice work on the guitar from Robin Finck, the third guitarist he uses on the album, choosing himself to stick to vocals and keys. It’s a sparse track, but effective and leaves an impression.
“We’re the unforgiven” marches along with menace and purpose, more good guitar striking in between the banks of synths, with a powerful vocal from Numan, then things pick up tempowise for “Who are you” with some fine buzzing synths. Some more whispered vocals from Numan --- he uses these to good effect, sparingly and carefully --- and the album ends on “My last day”, rather appropriately. Nice low-key start with piano and keys, synth noises and a quiet vocal from Numan. Some powerful guitar from Muddiman takes the energy up several notches for a short moment before it lapses back again. A really nice piano passage in the middle as the synths swell in the background, then a sort of violin-like synth joins in as we end on an instrumental fadeout. Very nice.
TRACKLISTING
1. I am dust
2. Here in the black
3. Everything comes down to this
4. The calling
5. Splinter
6. Lost
7. Love hurt bleed
8. A shadow falls on me
9. Where I can never be
10. We’re the unforgiven
11. Who are you?
12. My last day
If I have to pick one of these three as my favourite Gary Numan album I’m definitely leaning towards this, his most recent one, though that said his music is still nothing that grabs me and I’d be uninterested in checking out the rest of his admittedly impressive discography. The three albums chosen here, with over thirty years between their release, certainly show a man who is more than the sum of his parts and deserves a lot more credit for his music and creativity than I had ever afforded him. It’s pretty clear why he’s still so popular even now, and why his music is still listened to over three decades since he started with Tubeway Army and scored that huge hit.
All of this I can readily admit and accept that I had up to now judged him too harshly. However, no matter how good someone’s music may be on its own merits, to interest me and make me a fan I have to like it. It has to speak to me, engage me, interest me. This does not. I enjoyed listening to the albums here more than I did, say, Napalm Death or Possessed, but it was still business rather than pleasure. I seriously doubt I’d listen to another Gary Numan album, but at least now I can give him the credit he deserves, even if I don’t like his particular style of music.
And so, in the ancient Dublin tradition, let me say “Gowan Gary ya good thing ya!”
