As many of you will know, I also write regularly for God Is In The TV. I’m one of many contributors, and I’ve been quite busy over there of late. It’s a site that’s well worth reading if yu don’t do so already.
One of the reviews I’ve just had published over there is Gary Numan’s latest album Savage: Songs From A Broken World. You can read the review on the site …and why not whet your appetite before you do?
Gary Numan -‘Dead Son Rising’ (Mortal)
Still constantly judging Gary Numan by those two no.1 hits from 1979?
Well, more fool you. See, the music press may have been pretty snide about Gary Numan over the years, but there’s a whole host of musicians -to say nothing of an army of very loyal fans – who see him as nothing less than a pioneer. That’s people as diverse as Trent Reznor, Lady Gaga, and Prince, to name but three. He’s not been treading the same ground all these years -and his music draws on and continues to influence goth, industrial and metal scenes, to say nothing of Hip-Hop as well.
And his latest album Dead Son Rising shows him doing what he does best very well indeed. The lyrical concerns remain dark, by and large, the music thought-provoking and atmospheric. The single ‘The Fall’ (about an old friendship souring) is a perfect entry into the album. However, ‘Big Noise Transmission’ is as Numanesquely industrial as you would expect from its title, and yet other pieces like ‘Not For The Rest Of My Life’ are far more reflective than you might expect. I’m not so keen on ‘Into Battle’ but as an album this is a strong body of work.
So, yes, this should doubtless please his fans. But -and here’s the rub – this is as good a place as any to see what he’s uptpo, and why he is revered by so many.
****
Dead Son Rising is out now on Mortal.
I’m not really too fussed either way about Hallowe’en, but it seems to have been getting pushed quite a lot this year in Edinburgh.
So, if you’re in the mood for something spooky and disturbing for Hallowe’en (in a good way) then i would like to present the video for Gary Numan’s latest single ‘The Fall.’
Sure he may still be best known for ‘Cars’ and ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ but there’s a lot of people who realise that he is a genius. Watching the video, it’s clear that Trent Reznor, Marilyn Manson and a lot of folk have clearly been paying attention over the years. And Kanye West and Prince have also spoken of their admiration, suggesting that it’s not just the goth/industrial crowd who see what he has achieved. Not to mention his contribution to Battles’ sophomore album Gloss Drop, earlier this year on the single ‘My Machine.’
This track is taken from Numan’s latest album Dead Son Rising, which was released last week.
He is on tour this December:
7 Leamington Spa Assembly Hall
8 Manchester Ritz
9 Southampton Guildhall
10 All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival with Battles
11 Hatfield University SU – The Forum