keepers - 7
keeper avg .700
What an interesting surprise this album was. On the surface a slightly updated Thomas Dolby, judging from the opening title song and "Making Love To The World"**** (the latter is really similar to "She Blinded Me With Science"). Production is pretty minimal at times, and there doesn't seem to be much studio magic to help Wallinger endearingly stumble through his vocal acrobatics, so the songs sound immediate and fresh. Whether due to Wellinger's mystical mindset or the minimal vocal production, the songs have a soul that can be missing from the mainstream new wave hits. "Ship Of Fools"**** has a more refined production, especially in the impressive layers of percussion, but the performances are ambitious enough to warrant it. It may be disconcerting to hear synth violins and a popping bass line in a cover of Bob Dylan's "All I Really Want To Do"**** but even here Wallinger's devotion to the spirit to the song is obvious, and indeed "Ballad Of The Little Man"**** borrows some sounds from Highway 61 Revisited era Dylan. While most of the songs are relatively driving, "World Party"**** aims for dream-pop, and "It Can Be Beautiful Sometimes"**** is so sparse it barely coalesces into a song, but all are tied together with Wallinger's idealized social consciousness and his immersion in the material.
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