Where to begin?
Magic – still believe it to be aptly named and a fabulous starter to the album. Just shining, catchy, poppy optimism in four and half minutes.
Summer – that bass hook? Love it! We heard it WEEKS ago on a snippet clip of the reveal of the album’s release date. I mean…all those weeks I had been DYING to hear the song it was from – and now?! Oh, baby! Rocking, anthemic, celebratory….rather sexy too! Yep. More love.
Utopia – the spine tingling high hats that start it…love that. And that line “because I can’t tell if these memories belong to / Utopia” – oh…I LOOOVE that kind of wordplay! It’s really, REALLY sensual this one. Understated…a little dark in sound…a night song…a winter song. Again…more love!
The Signal And The Noise – another dark anthemic piece. But has that bounding optimism. Fell in love upon first listen. Such drama to it!
In Dreams – the song I had been anticipating the most and IT DIDN’T LET ME DOWN! Different to how I was imagining it to be in my head…but much much better. Upbeat, catchy. “Forever, Forever, Forever is never too long”…God, TELL ME ABOUT IT! Lol. This song’s length at 4 mins 15 seconds is not long enough! Jim and Sarah sound AMAZING together! And…talk about SENSUAL!
Barrowland Star – the snippet I had heard of it, I was getting scared I wouldn’t like it…but tried to relax…I couldn’t really gauge much from what I heard. Jim, in recent interviews has been worried it would come across as parody – rest assured, Sir – it is pure HOMAGE! And you are right about Charlie’s guitar being pure Ronno. Wow! And your voice too…is wow! And the strings! Beautiful!
Walk Between Worlds – OH MY! What a title track. God…those strings at the beginning…just so stirring and beautiful! They way they tower upwards. This song is just PURE DRAMA! Like…wow…”Oh brother, don’t you know? The heart starts beating now…” And the way Jim delivers it!
I must confess…that I was concerned over the past few years that I could hear weakness in his voice and I worried about it. I worried the strength of his voice was leaving him. And I saw one review absolutely SLATING his voice and my anxiety rose no end. But that review was utter fucking hogwash! And any doubts I had of him losing strength in his voice have been TOTALLY washed away listening to the album.
Walk Between Worlds as a title track has full epic, dramatic beauty. Emotional, stirring…awesome!
Sense Of Discovery – just so, so emotive and beautiful. “Put your hand on me”…the delivery of that single line? It makes me want to cry every time!
As it has been said. Perhaps not so much in a strict “Side one / Side two” sense … but the album has two distinct sides…but works as a whole unit. Just….OMG! Seriously cannot get enough of this album!
Yeah, Jim…42 minutes, eight tracks…LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE!
Well…good news! If you buy the deluxe CD or the coloured vinyl editions you’ll GET MORE! Three bonus tracks that include…
Silent Kiss – It has a kind of Japanese pentatonic scale to it…well that’s what I hear anyway…and the words are great. And Jim’s voice on it? Again…wow…and a sensuality AGAIN! The chorus! A great blend of yearning and desire.
SERIOUSLY worth splashing out on the deluxe versions for this song alone IMHO!
I may be utterly biased to f*** but to me, this album has delivered TEN FOLD on its objective to encapsulate all the elements of Simple Minds, past, present and future!
If you think Simple Minds cannot work with just Jim and Charlie alone…this album tells you how wrong you are. And, as I have said in previous months…Simple Minds have primarily been just Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill for MANY a year now.
Walk Between Worlds is NOW and relevant and a powerhouse. No flab! All muscle. Every track works.
It’s a bloody 10 from me! Possibly an 11!
