Kate Bush: Aerial

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Elly Roberts reviews

Kate Bush: Aerial
Distributed by
EMI Records

    Cover

  • Cat.no: 3439602
  • Released: November 2005
  • Rating: 6/10
  • Format: 2 CD set

For the past 12 years Kate Bush has done a good job on how to be invisible.

Reclusive, hardly anyone ever sees her in her home town. Rearing son Bertie(he gets a simple poetic mention on track 2 also getting to show his artworkon the booklet) and domesticity took high priority. Music went on the backburner for well over a decade.

As single King Of The Mountain, slips from 4 to 8 (week commencingNov 7) the album gets a release on the same date. Much has been said abouther protracted hiatus, though Kate has always done things her way and gotaway with it in the industry.

Aerial, a bumper 16-tracker, split into two parts – A Sea Of Honeyand Sky Of Honey would have made an excellent single album. Like somany who try to be clever (Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk a prime example)she’s un-necessarily overloaded our senses for the sake of absence. Kate iswell known for being quirky and clever. This time she’s been too clever.Immediately, you’ll recognise a big change inthe voice. Much of her trademark wailing has gone: for good it would appear.Combine this with a tad too much self-indulgence, it brings mixed results.

Single, King Of The Mountain, is a fabulous opener, and then Pi, nothing morethan album filler, takes the shine off things very quickly. At this pointI’d switched off, for a while at least. Interest re-emerged later as I swamthrough a tedious ‘washing machine’ ‘washing machine’ Mrs. Bartolozzi.

Quickly sharpening her flippers, ‘Invisible’ breaks through the waves of theSea Of Honey. By now I’m wondering why the thematic approach? There’s noobvious connection of ideas.

Joanni, musically anyway, fits the theme as the strings ebb and flowbeautifully – Kate’s now on form and it’s wonderful, only to be cursed bysome angrily peculiar noises. Ending CD 1, Kate retires to The Coral Room, achilled floater with a simple keys and vocal, with a cultured vocalcontribution by Michael Wood – stunning.

Singing birds open CD 2 with spoken word from a child (Bertie?) on a briefPrelude which leads to a longer Prologue, so we’re up in the sky at last.The Architect, featuring spoken intro by Rolf Harris has delightful ‘Katemoments’, while segued 1 min 35 sec The Painter’s Link serves no purposeother than a ‘link’.

The clouds break after a bleak spell as Sunset shinesthrough. Here Kate delicately tinkles the ivories, upright bass flutters andbrushes go into the slipstream – this is Kate at her best: it’s in shortsupply. Unexpectedly, in the latter quarter, Sunset bursts into a pulsatingLatino blast – incredible – I want more. Now we’re really flying high, as wehit the huge expanse of new R’n’B influenced Somewhere In Between, a lushsaunter that glides on the thermals of her mercurial singing, only toencounter a cold spot on the 8 minutes of Nocturn. Title track Aerial is aromp with Pink Floyd style guitar, laughing (Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of TheMoon calls), more birds, though she seems to have plunged back into the’sea’ ending with a damp squib.

With all this honey, Kate may find things a bit sticky because there’slittle here to bring a massive hit single. It probably wasn’t meant to haveone.

That’s our Kate.

Weblinks:Kate Bush.com

The full list of tracks included are :

Disc 1:

1. King Of The Mountain
2. Pi
3. Bertie
4. Mrs. Bartolozzi
5. How To Be Invisible
6. Joanni
7. A Coral Room

Disc 2:

1. Prelude
2. Prologue
3. An Architect’s Dream
4. The Painter’s Link
5. Sunset
6. Aerial Tal
7. Somewhere In Between
8. Nocturn
9. Aerial

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