An evening of Kate
I went to a listening party for Kate Bush's new album Aerial -- her first in 12 years -- at the Sony building in midtown Manhattan. It was held in a dimly-lit, dark wood panelled room, with servers pouring wine and Pellegrino and waiters serving trays of lovely appetizers like sushi, pizza, brushetta and skewered meat. :o) I always appreciate free food and booze. It was a small gathering of mostly men with a couple of hip-looking chicks.
The publicist, Benny, introduced the record (a double) and told us that it's a concept album and that we should just allow her to take us on her "odyssey over a day"... Disc one (which is titled A Sea of Honey) began with "King of the Mountain," the first single, which is a slow build with hypnotic beats and her soothing voice (which hasn't changed a bit). With the second track I noticed how the instrumentation is very different from what she's ever done -- very lush recording, and her voice seems more like an instrument than ever. Track three touched me, as it's named "Bertie" for her son Albert. It has what sounds like a harpsichord (sp?) in it and a folky feel. Lines that reached out to me: "Her comes that son of mine," "Lovely Bertie," "Sweet kisses, sweet wishes," and "So much joy you bring me."
Track 4, "Mrs. Bartolozzi," gave everyone in the room a giggle because it was all about doing laundry! Hearing Kate coo "Get that dirty shirtee clean" and crooning "Washing Machiiiiiiine" had us snickering.
There were a lot of bird noises in this one, and track 5, "How to be Invisible", was merely birds tweeting and singing.
Disc two, called A Sky of Honey, started off with a little boy's voice (Bertie maybe?)... I couldn't make out what he was saying, but it was track 1, "Prelude." Track 2, "Prologue," was a male voice saying weird things like "They're laughing about this" and track 4 ("The Painter's Link") had that same male voice saying, "I need to get that tone there... something darker." "It is raining, what has become of my painting?" Kate's voice joins in: "So all the colors run... see what they have become." Track 5, "Sunset," has almost a jazz sound in the percussion with a Spanish flamenco sounding breakdown, and ends with those tweeting birds... and had Kate cooing along with them. Weird, but that's why we love her. :o)
Track 8, "Nocturn," was my favorite... it had a dream-like sound and lasted for 9 minutes I think. Track 9, "Aerial," had Kate singing "I feel I need to be up on the road..." and ended with those chirping birds and Kate laughing.
I wonder what it all means. :o)
Sony gave us the "King of the Mountain" single as we left and a scented candle (it was from a shi-shi store in midtown called Henri Bendel, and the scent was called "Firewood.")
The publicist, Benny, introduced the record (a double) and told us that it's a concept album and that we should just allow her to take us on her "odyssey over a day"... Disc one (which is titled A Sea of Honey) began with "King of the Mountain," the first single, which is a slow build with hypnotic beats and her soothing voice (which hasn't changed a bit). With the second track I noticed how the instrumentation is very different from what she's ever done -- very lush recording, and her voice seems more like an instrument than ever. Track three touched me, as it's named "Bertie" for her son Albert. It has what sounds like a harpsichord (sp?) in it and a folky feel. Lines that reached out to me: "Her comes that son of mine," "Lovely Bertie," "Sweet kisses, sweet wishes," and "So much joy you bring me."
Track 4, "Mrs. Bartolozzi," gave everyone in the room a giggle because it was all about doing laundry! Hearing Kate coo "Get that dirty shirtee clean" and crooning "Washing Machiiiiiiine" had us snickering.
There were a lot of bird noises in this one, and track 5, "How to be Invisible", was merely birds tweeting and singing.
Disc two, called A Sky of Honey, started off with a little boy's voice (Bertie maybe?)... I couldn't make out what he was saying, but it was track 1, "Prelude." Track 2, "Prologue," was a male voice saying weird things like "They're laughing about this" and track 4 ("The Painter's Link") had that same male voice saying, "I need to get that tone there... something darker." "It is raining, what has become of my painting?" Kate's voice joins in: "So all the colors run... see what they have become." Track 5, "Sunset," has almost a jazz sound in the percussion with a Spanish flamenco sounding breakdown, and ends with those tweeting birds... and had Kate cooing along with them. Weird, but that's why we love her. :o)
Track 8, "Nocturn," was my favorite... it had a dream-like sound and lasted for 9 minutes I think. Track 9, "Aerial," had Kate singing "I feel I need to be up on the road..." and ended with those chirping birds and Kate laughing.
I wonder what it all means. :o)
Sony gave us the "King of the Mountain" single as we left and a scented candle (it was from a shi-shi store in midtown called Henri Bendel, and the scent was called "Firewood.")