1984
3 keepers
keeper avg .300 (original album)
When it was first released Howard Jones' debut album was largely panned by critics, a reasonable reaction by anyone who inspected the lyric sheet. Mostly penned by a mystery man Bill Bryant, I'd concede they're at best middling, and the "glib" descriptor I read elsewhere seems apt. As a musician my attention is elsewhere, so most pass through me unnoticed; it allows the writer to blind me with all their hooks, and without hooks I see no point (get it?). Singles "What Is Love?" and the more up-tempo "Pearl in the Shell" are both hooky enough to be memorable, the former featuring some impressive vocal layering, the latter a lot of fake horns. The pleasant "Natural" features some warm, charming Kraftwerk-sounding synth. The impossibly optimistic single "New Song"***** is far from profound, but despite a verse melody very similar to "Solsbury Hill" (Peter Gabriel, 1977) the ever ascending chorus is one of Jones' greatest melodic moments, effectively eclipsing any accompanying lyrical drivel.
Over the course of the album Jones further explores a range of what could be done with synth pop. The up-tempo "Equality"**** is fairly aggressive for synth pop, while the tempo of "Hunt the Self" and the title song are almost frantic; the latter is strangely atonal but features a cool piano melody. Similarly, the ridiculously angular "Conditioning" (with a robotic "welcome to conditioning") is clearly tongue-in-cheek, more steeped in new-wave like Oingo Boingo than Jones' typical pop sensibility. The atmospheric synth ballad "Hide and Seek" resembles Peter Gabriel but with Jones' unashamedly melodic sense. And "Hide and Seek"**** and "Don't Always Look at the Rain" may seem sleepy at first but Jones employs intriguing contrasts between sections of the songs to create a powerful, anthemic ambiance.
China Dance (bonus track) - exotic sounding for the time but also stereotypical
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