Produced by Kevin Barnes
Label Polyvinyl

It seems so obvious now, that the perfect method to extract the optimum artistic performance from a kooky American singer/musician is to send him to live in a small town in Norway, let the self imposed alienation settle into his transom, and then send him back to the States to report his findings on the next album. Light the touch paper marked “unhinged” and boom! You’ve got the most generically disparate and creatively oblique album of his career. For Athens Georgia band Of Montreal (or rather, leader Kevin Barnes plus family and a few friends), output has always been un-tethered cosmic idiosyncrasies about nothing in particular. His decision to exile he and his wife in Norway has formed a lyrical content washed in dark and sometimes traumatic episodes of isolation and depressions, culminating in the 12 minute hope sucking epic “The Past Is A Grotesque Animal” that splits the album in two. Its ceaseless synth cycle of New Orderish soundscapes and Barnes’s cacophonous shrieks, maniacally throwing out pain, and insecurity will ultimately form one’s defining judgement on the merits of “Hissing Fauna…” as a whole. This reviewer loves it.

For subject matter so down hearted, Barnes creates music that is conversely buoyant, melodic and in most cases, catchy as hell. Taking much from early eighties British electro Pop, he weaves his lonely lyrics into some soaring choruses including “Gronlandic Edit” with its outstanding descending harmonies, the wanton and upbeat throwaway nature of “A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger” is so at odds with Barnes’ state of mind as he sings “I spent the winter on the verge of a total breakdown while living in Norway,”. The single, “Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse” highlights the musical mood succinctly with the most gloriously bubbling keyboard melody that, if one wasn’t listening to the lyrics (“I’m in a crisis, I need help, come on mood shift back to good again”), would think the song was about baby lambs, pretty girls and smiling babies. “She’s A Rejector” sees Barnes as the rejected lover, as he angrily blurts “There’s a girl that left me bitter, I want to pay another girl to walk up to her and hit her”, all played out in a Bowie/Low era Disco mulch. It’s all a tale of contradictions, upbeat and sad, dark lyrics, light music, all totally compelling, and worth every minute of your attention.

“Hissing Fauna…” is so much more than 12 odd titles, it’s a rare treat, a tingling mess of memorable moments.

8/10

1.”Suffer for Fashion” – 2:59
2.”Sink the Seine” – 1:04
3.”Cato as a Pun” – 3:02
4.”Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse” – 3:18
5.”Gronlandic Edit” – 3:24
6.”A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger” – 4:54
7.”The Past Is a Grotesque Animal” – 11:52
8.”Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider” – 3:51
9.”Faberge Falls for Shuggie” – 4:31
10.”Labyrinthian Pomp” – 3:21
11.”She’s a Rejecter” – 4:02
12.”We Were Born the Mutants Again with Leafling” – 4:57

Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse

Gronlandic Edit

Orchestral collective Clean Bandit seem in no rush to capitalise on initial interest. The video for the excellent mix of electronic dance and traditional strings for “Mozart’s House” was uploaded to You Tube almost 3 years ago. The single finally got its physical release on April 14th as an EP and is already steadily rising up the iTunes chart. Whilst mixing classical and dance music isn’t new, there’s a distinctly fresh originality about Clean Bandit’s sound that reflects an intimate understanding of both genres.

www.cleanbandit.com

Produced by Mike Skinner
Label 679/Vice Records

The philosophical musings of an artist who struggles with fame and fortune are generally accorded critical disdain. The depressive self referential cliché’s that filtered throughout his previous album (2006’s “The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living”) characterized Mike Skinner’s change in social situation. He was no longer the pill fueled lower middle class street urchin of the pubs, clubs, takeaways and bus stops. The ennui that comes from upgraded status led to an embittered album that lacked the homespun charm that had filled his previous two long players. Whilst “Everything Is Borrowed” still languishes in a world grounded by monetary privilege, at least it doesn’t harbour the same alienating grudge and conceit. The latest set of songs painstakingly catalogue Skinner’s profound ruminations on the human spirit, soul, morality and the downfall of mankind. Undoubtedly a heavyweight itinerary, but there’s an honesty and wit to much of Skinner’s lyrical content, and vitally the music matches the more confident songwriter.

The opener, and title track is as humble as it is affecting; a statement charting the simplicity of life’s travels over fresh organic instrumentation and laid back melody. “I came to this world with nothing, And I leave with nothing but love, Everything else is just borrowed” feels like Skinner has finally come to terms with the excesses of stardom, and indeed, his own place in the world. And when he leaves this mortal coil, “Heaven For The Weather” playfully ponders on his north or south trip, all played out over a celebratory Pop/Soul rhythm. “On The Edge Of A Cliff” is a grave suicide talk down, sensitive, philosophical and deeply sincere, and successfully creates vivid poetic images. Musically “The Hardest Way…” moves further away from the urban cut and paste computer sampling in favour of conventional bass rhythms, guitar lines, and occasional strings with generally positive results. The dreamy, ethereal lyrics to the closer (“The Escapist”) qualify the seismic shift from his club roots into a landscape of other worldly imagery; “I feel no fear, I’m not really here, I’m nowhere near” as his imagination wanders. “The Way Of The Dodo” branches into unnecessary, cliché driven words of the destruction of mankind, not helped by the clunky rhythms which feel totally out of step with the rest of this collection. That said, it is one of the few negatives, and although “Everything Is Borrowed” isn’t as powerfully insistent as previous incarnations, there’s more of a reliance on Skinner’s meticulous storytelling, less on the self obsession that tarnished “The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living”.

7/10

Track Listing
1.”Everything Is Borrowed” – 4:04
2.”Heaven for the Weather” – 3:27
3.”I Love You More (Than You Like Me)” – 3:45
4.”The Way of the Dodo” – 3:33
5.”On the Flip of a Coin” – 3:21
6.”On the Edge of a Cliff” – 3:04
7.”Never Give In” – 3:25
8.”The Sherry End” – 2:46
9.”Alleged Legends” – 3:12
10.”The Strongest Person I Know” – 3:03
11.”The Escapist” – 5:16
12.”To Your Face” (iTunes bonus track) – 3:35

Everything Is Borrowed

Heaven For The Weather

The Escapist

Produced by George Martin
Label – Parlophone

Critical evaluation will reveal that “Please Please Me” isn’t the most celebrated Beatles recording. As the story unfolds throughout the decade there would be triumphant moments that would easily surpass this emergent long player and would identify the Liverpool four piece as the greatest pop band in history. However, what is wholly unique about this and all the early recordings is the level of irresistible public recognition they gathered, and this loyal reverence would eventually create the time and space for the band to freely develop their own sonic experiments resulting in masterpieces that would lay the influential bedrock in popular music for the next half a century. Surely few but the band and their driven manager would have recognised the potential at this embryonic stage in their career, but the combination of years of tightly honed performance, three brilliant song writers, Brian Epstein’s sharply focused attention to presentation and hard work, and producer George Martin’s musical vision would eventually lead to the astonishing domination of worldwide charts for years to come.

The recording of “Please Please Me” was lightning fast, delivered in 4 three hour sessions over a single day, as the band banged out a selection from their high energy live set. Part of the irresistible appeal is the fresh immediacy of the collection, the raw and ragged edges still entwined to add a sense of the urgent intention to capitalise on the successful singles. The stand out songs bookend the record as Paul McCartney counts in the beat for the rousing “I Saw Her Standing There”. Lennon, suffering with a heavy cold at the time, delivers a superbly throat shredding vocal performance on the closer “Twist And Shout”. The title track is an early example of Lennon and McCartney’s perfectly formed realisation of simple but effective harmony vocals to boost a classic melody. There are imperfections but given the rapidity of the recording process one can forgive McCartney’s overtly melodramatic vocal on “A Taste Of Honey” which sounds like an outtake from a Bachelors long player and Ringo’s “Boys” which is just a little too ramshackle to take seriously.

The Beatles path to glory would never be defined by their debut album, but one can’t deny that this hastily put together collection has all the fresh appeal, originality and charm to pave the way for an astonishing future.

8/10

Track Rating
1 – I Saw Her Standing There 10
2 – Misery 8
3 – Anna (Go To Him) 8
4 – Chains 7
5 – Boys 6
6 – Ask Me Why 7
7 – Please Please Me 10
8 – Love Me Do 8
9 – P.S. I Love You 8
10 – Baby It’s You 7
11 – Do You Want To Know A Secret 8
12 – A Taste Of Honey 6
13 – There’s A Place 8
14 – Twist And Shout 10

Love Me Do

Please Please Me

Twist And Shout

Produced by David Gilmour & Bob Ezrin
Label – EMI

The follow up to “A Momentary Lapse Of Reason”, “The Division Bell” brings back Richard Wright and Nick Mason as permanent band members, and Wright has co- writing credits on 5 of the 11 songs, and the album definitely benefits from the return of the original members. Along with Wright’s and Dave Gilmour’s contributions, song writing credits go to Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson, and Nick Laird Clowes of The Dream Academy. As a body of work “The Division Bell” is easily the best post Waters Pink Floyd album, with strong songs, the usual excellent musicianship, but most of all, a superb production and musical arrangement from Gilmour and Bob Ezrin. The collection could be loosely described as a Concept album describing the different types of division from political, to personal, and is as close to an early seventies Floyd sound than anyone thought likely, with the traditional slow tempos, sustained guitar and keyboard fills, and a focus on dark, moody soundscapes.

Interestingly, Gilmour isn’t afraid to voice his ire for Roger Waters, and this manifests in at least two songs. The excellent “Poles Apart” (” I never thought you’d lose that light in your eyes”), and the almost pleadingly apologetic “Keep Talking”. “A Great Day For Freedom” captures the essence of the breaking down of the Berlin Wall and Communism in East Germany, and works well. Other highlights include “What Do You Want From Me”, the instrumental “Marooned”, and the closest song to commercial rock, “Take It Back”. The real startling quality is left to the albums closer though, the wondrous “High Hopes”. A church bell tolls, and keeps a hypnotic, metronomic beat, whilst a simple piano lead takes the listener to Gilmour’s reminiscences for a happier dream like time, an escape from darkness, and the song builds into a powerfully orchestral performance, closing out with one of the most anthemic guitar solos Gilmour has ever produced. The song is equal to anything the band produced in the seventies, and for this writer that is high praise indeed.

The explanation of just why Pink Floyd are still important lies firmly in “The Division Bell”. One wonders whether any credibility was given to the band without Roger Waters, and if that was the case, then just listen to this album and realise that although not the greatest Floyd album, it sits comfortably alongside anything they produced during the glory years.

8/10

Track Listing

1 Cluster One 5:58
2 What Do You Want From Me 4:21
3 Poles Apart 7:04
4 Marooned 5:28
5 A Great Day for Freedom 4:18
6 Wearing the Inside Out 6:48
7 Take It Back 6:12
8 Coming Back to Life 6:19
9 Keep Talking 6:11
10 Lost for Words 5:14
11 High Hopes 8:31

Take It Back

High Hopes

There are just a few occasions when one realizes the full wonder of this global communication super highway called the internet. For all the salutary tales of the dangers of how the medium is destroying modern music, for most it is still an incredible world of discovery, and has encouraged listeners like me to investigate new projects and make informed choices with utmost confidence. Had “Time:Line” been released ten years ago it would have undoubtedly passed me by; the weight of limited exposure via TV and radio narrowed everyone’s listening habits to all but a lucky few. It would have been my loss, for the debut long player by the Dutch ex-pat and Houston based MC (Nicolay and Kay) has instantly become an addictive experience, a sparkling light that shines above and beyond the majority of 2008’s new music. Coincidentally, the fact that the pair hooked up via Hip Hop message boards only goes to further reinforce the vitality of the World Wide Web in bringing together aspiring musicians and writers. I was already aware of Nicolay’s soulful production skills on a previous collaboration with Little Brother’s Phonte on an album by The Foreign Exchange, so there was at least an expectation that the musical backdrop would be a mellow delight. The welcome surprise here is the introduction of Kevin Jackson (Kay) who delivers a considered, imaginative and seductively flowing rap performance that seamlessly binds with Nicolay’s inspired arrangements. The pair aren’t re-inventing the wheel here; there’s no revolutionary development of a striking new Hip Hop phenomena, but their focused attempt to interpret a wide spectrum of Soul, Jazz and Pop styling with powerful melodies and an underlying lyrical concept that runs throughout is thrillingly coherent.

Nicolay casts sparkling horn arrangements and intricate guitar and keyboard accompaniment to stretch the warm rhythms, offering Kay the springboard to launch his stream of personal messages that automatically progress through the “life cycle” with a journey both auto-biographical and fictional. He announces himself on “Blizzard”, a stirringly dramatic account of arrival that’s supported by a spectacularly stylized 70s Soul backdrop. Nicolay’s string coda that staples the song together adds to the gravity of the lyrics and it’s a mouth watering opening shot. “The Lights” questions the price of fame over integrity to the smoothest groove, highlighted by sweet vibes and Nicole Hurst’s gentle backing vocal. Chasing girls is never far from Kay’s thoughts and “Through The Wind” is the sunshine Pop song most po faced Hip Hop acts simply can’t produce these days, it’s guaranteed to move the feet and brighten the darkest of moods. Chip Fu of Fu Schnickens makes a guest appearance on the convincing reggae/rap song “The Gunshot” which preludes the tense final three songs, “Grand Theft Auto”, “When You Die”, and “Dancing With The Stars”, which all harbour a different message of our impending demise. For me, the song that beautifully represents the triumph of “Time:Line” is when Kay shows rare bravado on “What We Live”, as he praises his and Nicolay’s song writing skills (“I’ve got a song the whole world respects”) with a horn melody and swirling ensemble vocal fade out that fully realizes the colossal potential of this fruitful partnership.

After a fortnight, my awe at this album’s virtuosity has done nothing but deepen with every listen and its purest moments haven’t failed once to send a shiver down my spine. Now who said Hip Hop was dead?

9/10

Track Listing

1 Time:Line
2 Blizzard (feat. Toby Hill)
3 The Light (feat. Myth, S1 & Nicole Hurst)
4 Through the Wind (feat. Stokley Williams)
5 What We Live
6 I’ve Seen Rivers
7 Tight Eyes (feat. Oh No & The Luv Bugz)
8 As the Wheel Turns
9 The Gun Shot (feat. Chip Fu)
10 Grand Theft Auto
11 When You Die
12 Dancing With the Stars (feat. Soulfruit)

As The Wheel Turns

Blizzard

Through The Wind

Produced by Joe Jackson & David Kerschenbaum
Label – A&M

By 1982, no one would have ever believed that at one time Joe Jackson was an angry new wave/power pop singer/songwriter with a portfolio of honest, well written and consistent albums (except the confusing “Beat Crazy”). His previous release, “Joe Jackson’s Jumping Jive” had shown that he was never fearful of a complete genre hop, enveloping himself, his band, and the listener in the world of Louis Jordan and 1930s and 40s jazz and swing music. It worked, but Jackson quickly realised that at that stage in his career he didn’t want to be “pigeon holed” as a jazz revivalist. His musical ambitions were still far from fulfilled, and when he left the U.K shores following a rough divorce and set up camp in New York City his opportunity came to take in the works of Porter, Gerschwin, Latin music and particularly salsa.

“Night And Day” is a sleek reflection of all these influences, combining Jackson’s modern gritty lyrics with a classy backdrop of complex percussive rhythms, and sweeping piano and keyboard instrumentation. There is a certain stylized over sophistication at times, but that can be forgiven, as the song writing always eclipses the pseudo kitsch overtones.

Some call it a New York style album. It’s not. It’s the reflections of a New York viewed through the eyes of an Englishman, particularly on Side 1 (the Night side). From the excellent rhythmic opener “Another World”, Jackson is the boy stepping through the wardrobe into a new vibrant, effervescent, challenging cityscape, and the hit single “Steppin’ Out” perfectly reflects an excited anticipation for the night life and glamour of the big city. The dark underbelly of the sprawling city is also uncovered with the help of Sue Hadjopoulos’ expansive Latin rhythms on “Chinatown” and “Target” and offer a reflection of how life in a new town can push both one’s excitement and fear buttons in an instant. Each song on the “Night” side runs consecutively and sounds more like a Suite of music than five individual tracks, and the effect works well, the only drop in quality coming from the David Byrne style rant (“TV Age”).

Side two kicks off with the moving piano ballad “Breaking Us In Two”. It catalogues the break up with his wife, where he finds himself asking for separation to hopefully regenerate the love he has for her. The quality is maintained throughout with the cynical Latino “Cancer” and the rapturous closer “Slow Song” which has an unbelievably powerful chorus which seems to soar into space, and wraps up a superb album.

On “Night And Day” Jackson threw away the pop rule book, and pursued his own vision with stubborn independence. It remains his finest moment.

9/10

A1 Another World 4:00
A2 Chinatown 4:08
A3 T.V. Age 3:45
A4 Target 3:52
A5 Steppin’ Out 4:34
B1 Breaking Us in Two 4:57
B2 Cancer 6:06
B3 Real Men 4:05
B4 A Slow Song 7:13

Steppin’ Out

Breaking Us In Two

Another World

Produced by Markus Dravs
Label – Island/Glassnote

Formed in 2007, West London four piece Mumford & Sons have moulded a full length debut that sounds incredibly mature, carefully tapping into an increased interest in acoustic music that combines traditional English folk with American influences such as Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and Midlake. Their sound often develops from gentle soul filled strumming to frantic hoe downs with thumping rhythms, and fast paced banjo, ukulele, mandolin and guitar accompaniments. For an unplugged bunch, they make a lot of noise, and this will appeal to anyone who enjoys music that builds its intensity to powerful conclusions. Admittedly, there is a lack of dimension in the song writing at times, but any reservations are overcome with the alluring vibrancy of the performance. Marcus Mumford’s vocal is original if not spectacular, and his emotive stories of battling self doubt and failures past carry a heavy sincerity in the confessional that’s hard to resist.

The highlights are carefully stacked at the top of the recording with the first three foot stompers shamelessly pulling the listener into Mumford’s alluring world. The opener and title track “Sigh No More” is a rousing statement of faith in love as the singer belts out his optimism with the lines, “Love that will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, it will set you free.” The single and probably the most recognisable song from the album (“The Cave”) is a triumph in distilling a great melody that recalls many great acoustic bands from the past with a lyric that raises more questions than it answers as Mumford announces“But I will hold on hope, And I won’t let you choke, On the noose around your neck, And I’ll find strength in pain, And I will change my ways”. For this listener the outstanding moment comes with “Winter Winds”, which has the kind of anthemic gusto bands with half a dozen albums under their belt could never achieve. Indeed, one could easily be a little cynical of the confidence in their precocious skills were it not for the conviction of the performance.

An entrancing listen, “Sigh No More” is a more than striking debut from a band that sound like they’ve been producing classics for the past ten years and yet bizarrely it’s their debut.

8/10

Track Listing
1 – Sigh No More – 9
2 – The Cave – 9
3 – Winter Winds – 10
4 – Roll Away Your Stones – 7
5 – White Blank Page – 7
6 – I Gave You All – 7
7 – Little Lion Man – 7
8 – Timshel 8
9 – Thistle & Weeds 7
10 – Awake My Soul 8
11 – Dust Bowl Dance 7
12 – After The Storm 7

Sigh No More

The Cave

Winter Winds

Produced by Youth, James and Steve Chase
Label – Fontana

Titled as a direct result of the band increasing to a 7 piece, Tim Booth and cohorts released their fullest sounding, grandest produced and most satisfying release. Their stock as a live band had never been questioned, but their album releases up until “Seven” had been patchy, and it seems that the response would be to fill out the traditional jangly pop elements with a harder arena style rock sound. Many comparisons at the time associated the sound with classic Arena Rock similar to Simple Minds, which is an unfair comparison because although there is a surging crowd pleasing grandeur, singer Tim Booth maintains a level of resolute intimacy, expounding his lyrical obsessions of war, religion, and sex. The war theme seems a direct result of the Gulf conflict of the previous year and both “Bring A Gun” and “Mother” where Booth opens with the lines “These wars are motherfuckers, how many sons will we kill today?”

Partly produced by Youth, Steve Chase and the band, the first half of “Seven” is James at their blistering best. The addition of Trumpet playing Andy Diagram adds to the plunging pop surge of the opener “Born Of Frustration”, and Booth yells out insecurities with abandon, employing lines like “I don’t need a shrink, but an Exorcist”. The dramatic “Ring The Bells” passionately displays Booths inner atheist beliefs as he repeats the line “I no longer feel God watching over me” and the rhythm and performance of the song seems to add a weird exaltation to his discovery. “Sound”, “Bring A Gun” and “Mother” continue the momentum perfectly, and although the quality isn’t maintained throughout, the final cut and title track “Seven” is the most gloriously produced and possibly best song of the bands career. A wonderful string arrangement is supported by Diagram’s lonely distant Trumpet and guitarist Larry Gott’s tender embellishment, all set to Booths questioning of the many facets of Love as he bares himself with the line “Darling, I’m open, Unguarded, Unbroken”.

“Seven” is a more than worthy addition; it’s a creative compilation of a band developing their ideas with a complete and wholesome passion.

8/10

Track Listing
1.”Born of Frustration” (James) — 4:21
2.”Ring the Bells” (Booth/Glennie/Gott) — 4:45
3.”Sound” (James) — 6:40
4.”Bring a Gun” (James) — 3:42
5.”Mother” (James) — 2:40
6.”Don’t Wait That Long” (James) — 6:39
7.”Live a Love of Life” (James) — 4:18
8.”Next Lover” (James) — 5:27 — omitted from the vinyl edition
9.”Heavens” (James) — 3:56
10.”Protect Me” (James) — 3:05
11.”Seven” (James) — 3:22

Sound

Born Of Frustration

Ring The Bells

Produced by Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Roy Halee
Label – Columbia

Simon & Garfunkel’s fifth and final studio album is a triumph of ambitious musical diversity that may have flaws, but to this day stands as a considerably epic achievement. This may have been partly due to the pair’s confidence in that they had already delivered timeless folk classics on their previous collections, and there may well have been an inner sense that they needed to push beyond the sonic boundaries of the past and paint a musical picture that enveloped other branches of music. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” uniquely reveals skills that neatly wove gospel, rock, world and reggae with their seamless, uncluttered folk. And yet for all the dextrous genre hopping throughout there is rarely a misstep, because underlying almost every twist and turn is a core of outstanding written compositions that lie at the heart of every experimental journey. Its influence remains over forty years on and paves the way for many folk and mainstream artists to push the boundaries beyond their musical comfort zone.

Probably the biggest single departure for the duo is the pan pipe led South American track “El Condor Pasa (If I Could)”, which would be the springboard for many of Simon’s later escapades. The music is wholly honest to its roots, and not even the amateurish lyrics (“I’d rather be a hammer than a nail”) can detract its exotic intent. From wistful floating one is quickly brought down to earth with the heavily percussion led pop song “Cecilia”, which cleverly combines the story of a less than virtuous young woman with one of the most infectious melodies. “Keep The Customer Satisfied” is a jaunty, horn filled trip to the big band era, borrowing much from “The Graduate” soundtrack album from 2 years before.

Obviously the two most recognisable songs from this collection are the title track and “The Boxer”, which leads off side 2. The latter is a superb traditional folk number; a sad lament about overcoming poverty and loneliness in New York City and perfectly highlights the pair’s harmony vocals. The title track is a dramatic, piano led gospel hymn with a Garfunkel vocal performance which for this listener has never been matched in its intensity and virtuosity. It is of course both uplifting and spiritual as was intended and remains one of the greatest pop performances of the century.

The relationship between the pair was full of emotional complexities that will probably never be fully understood, but in “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” and “The Only Living Boy In New York”, one has an insight into Simon’s feelings towards the longevity of the partnership. Whilst Garfunkel was away filming the black comedy/anti war movie “Catch 22” Simon created two beautifully effortless ballads which in view of the better known songs from this record should never be overlooked. “The Only Living Boy In New York” represents the writer’s loneliness, speaking to Garfunkel in the song as “Tom”, referring to their early days when they were called Tom and Jerry, and encourages him to “let your honesty shine . . . like it shines on me”. “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” compares Garfunkel to the great architect in this weightless drifting tune with a superb flute accompaniment from Bryan Beck.

The juxtaposition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is that although it contains some of Simon & Garfunkel’s greatest and most progressive performances, it feels like a break up recording. There’s a sense of melancholia throughout as the pair chronicle a brilliant career and modestly draw a close on a back catalogue of songs that would reach out to generations of fans.

9/10

Track Listing
1 – Bridge Over Troubled Water 10
2 – El Condor Pasa (If I Could) 8
3 – Cecilia 8
4 – Keep The Customer Satisfied 9
5 – So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright 10
6 – The Boxer 10
7 – Baby Driver 7
8 – The Only Living Boy In New York 10
9 – Why Don’t You Write Me 6
10 – Bye Bye Love 7
11 – Song For The Asking 9

Bridge Over Troubled Water

The Boxer