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Poptical Illusion

Poptical Illusion in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $17.99
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Size: CD
A bit over ten years separated
John Cale
's 2012 album
Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood
and his next LP of original material, 2023's
Mercy
. Chalk it up to a more dedicated creative focus or simply momentum, but a mere 18 months passed before
Cale
delivered his follow-up to
, 2024's
Poptical Illusion
. As the title suggests,
is a bit more approachable than the dark, forbidding tone of
. While the arrangements are largely built around electronics, in terms of melodies, the songs recall the more graceful tone of albums like 1970's
Vintage Violence
and 1973's
Paris 1919
, and the material has a warmth missing from much of
's catalog, even if the performances on tracks like "I'm Angry" and "Edge of Reason" are nearly as spare as those on 1982's brilliant but harrowing
Music for a New Society
, and the rhythmic chatter of "Company Commander" suggests a dance track without the central pulse that would make it user-friendly.
was an often mournful work, full of damaged lives in a world succumbing to its own chaos;
isn't as heavily invested in its clouds of ambient sound and doomstruck navel-gazing (and it doesn't feature a raft of guest stars, with
handling most of the instrumental work himself), and the observations are more personal than political. However, just as
found
sounding fully engaged in new music after a long period of working with others or examining his past,
is full of ideas and energy, perhaps not the work of a man full of hope but certainly one with plenty to say. At the age of 82,
's music is fresh and contemporary in a way very few of his peers can manage, making use of the seemingly endless palate of electronic sounds in a way that engages the head and the heart, and even the darkest selections here display a bold, uncompromising humanity that turns his pessimism into a rage against the dying of the light. He is also in fine voice, singing with a force and control that's as flexible as it was 50 years ago.
may be a respected elder statesman of adventurous music that explores the nexus of rock and art, but on
he sounds like a contemporary artist bubbling over with ideas and the will to execute them. It may not be especially optimistic, but it's certainly powerful and inspiring, and we probably need that more from
than forced cheeriness, a skill he need not acquire this far into his career. ~ Mark Deming
John Cale
's 2012 album
Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood
and his next LP of original material, 2023's
Mercy
. Chalk it up to a more dedicated creative focus or simply momentum, but a mere 18 months passed before
Cale
delivered his follow-up to
, 2024's
Poptical Illusion
. As the title suggests,
is a bit more approachable than the dark, forbidding tone of
. While the arrangements are largely built around electronics, in terms of melodies, the songs recall the more graceful tone of albums like 1970's
Vintage Violence
and 1973's
Paris 1919
, and the material has a warmth missing from much of
's catalog, even if the performances on tracks like "I'm Angry" and "Edge of Reason" are nearly as spare as those on 1982's brilliant but harrowing
Music for a New Society
, and the rhythmic chatter of "Company Commander" suggests a dance track without the central pulse that would make it user-friendly.
was an often mournful work, full of damaged lives in a world succumbing to its own chaos;
isn't as heavily invested in its clouds of ambient sound and doomstruck navel-gazing (and it doesn't feature a raft of guest stars, with
handling most of the instrumental work himself), and the observations are more personal than political. However, just as
found
sounding fully engaged in new music after a long period of working with others or examining his past,
is full of ideas and energy, perhaps not the work of a man full of hope but certainly one with plenty to say. At the age of 82,
's music is fresh and contemporary in a way very few of his peers can manage, making use of the seemingly endless palate of electronic sounds in a way that engages the head and the heart, and even the darkest selections here display a bold, uncompromising humanity that turns his pessimism into a rage against the dying of the light. He is also in fine voice, singing with a force and control that's as flexible as it was 50 years ago.
may be a respected elder statesman of adventurous music that explores the nexus of rock and art, but on
he sounds like a contemporary artist bubbling over with ideas and the will to execute them. It may not be especially optimistic, but it's certainly powerful and inspiring, and we probably need that more from
than forced cheeriness, a skill he need not acquire this far into his career. ~ Mark Deming