John Cale – POPtical Illusion (2024) [FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

John Cale – POPtical Illusion (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:04:07 minutes | 751 MB | Genre: Pop Rock, Art Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Double Six Records

Despite the album’s playful title, Cale’s second album in just over a year still contains the same feelings of fierce and inquisitive rage that were present in 2023 album MERCY. He remains angry, still incensed by the willful destruction that unchecked capitalists and unrepentant conmen have hoisted upon the wonders of this world and the goodness of its people. But this is not at all MERCY II, or some collection of castoffs, as throughout his career of more than six decades, Cale has never been much for repetition. His vanguard-shaping enthusiasms have shifted among ecstatic classicism and unbound rock, classic songcraft and electronic reimagination with proud restlessness.John Cale’s 1990 collaboration with Brian Eno drastically shifted his relationship with technology. Across the last twenty-five years, Cale’s curiosity and desire to innovate have presented in unique ways. 1996’s Walking on Locusts builds some songs on idiosyncratic drum machine programming. 2003’s HoboSapiens relies heavily on samples, and its follow-up, blackAcetate, brings in deep bass synthesizer tones. Drum and synthesizer programming got bigger and more emphatic with 2012’s Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood. And 2023’s Mercy, Cale’s first album of new songs in a decade, brought the synthesizers, drones, and noises fully into the foreground, with the rock and orchestral instruments supporting them.

POPtical Illusion retains many parts of Mercy’s approach, with prominent electronics and drum machines. The arrangements here are simplified, without the array of notable guests that filled out Mercy. While drum programs were fundamental on earlier Cale songs, like “Hush” or “Time Stands Still,” this is the first time they’ve been central throughout a full album. Compared to Mercy, the vocals here are backed away from the foreground, which further draws attention to the beats and sequences.

Some of the vocal melodies and lower vocal levels in the mixes recall previous eras of Cale’s career: “All to the Good” evokes the overt catchiness of One Way Up; “Edge of Reason” would fit on Cale’s Island albums—its lyrical reference to “Fear is a Man’s Best Friend” hints that this stylistic similarity is purposeful. The deadpan “Setting Fires” would fit on Honi Soit, and some of its blown out guitar along with the extended instrumental section sound not far removed from his late-’70s period. In contrast, the simple, repeating structure of “Calling You Out” and “How We See the Light” introduce a newer, modern direction that’s indicative of Cale’s exploratory personality. – Steve Silverstein

Tracklist:

1-1. John Cale – God Made Me Do It (don’t ask me again) (04:48)
1-2. John Cale – Davies and Wales (04:15)
1-3. John Cale – Calling You Out (04:49)
1-4. John Cale – Edge of Reason (05:23)
1-5. John Cale – I’m Angry (05:25)
1-6. John Cale – How We See The Light (04:45)
1-7. John Cale – Company Commander (04:07)
1-8. John Cale – Setting Fires (05:40)
1-9. John Cale – Shark-Shark (05:00)
1-10. John Cale – Funkball the Brewster (05:34)
1-11. John Cale – All To The Good (04:30)
1-12. John Cale – Laughing In My Sleep (05:45)
1-13. John Cale – There Will Be No River (03:58)

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