John Cale – ‘POPtical Illusion’ album review: timeless avant-pop
THE SKINNY: You may have heard the proverb, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Over the past couple of years, John Cale has disproved this claim with resounding triumph in the avant-pop vein. This artful yet endlessly appealing enclave of the musical meadow had hosted the Welsh multi-instrumentalist in his solo work since the early 1970s, but he’s certainly no stick in the mud.
As a dextrous composer of unique voice and unparalleled productional grasp, Cale’s six-decade career is teeming with success. From the two seminal Velvet Underground albums to his later collaborations with The Stooges, Nick Drake, Patti Smith and Bian Eno, he has consolidated stature as the musician’s musician.
Cale sets the trends and beckons those left in his wake. In 2023, he returned with Mercy, his first album since 2016, which brimmed with fruitful collaboration. Completing a harmonious circle of inspiration, Cale teamed up with some of his favourite contemporary artists, including Fat White Family, Weyes Blood and Sylvan Esso.
In his new offering, POPtical Illusion, Cale sheds the collaborations somewhat, composing all tracks alone in productional cooperation with Nita Scott. Mercy was, for me, among the finest albums of 2023, so when I say that this new album falls just below a high watermark, that is a trifling criticism. Both albums exhibit innovative avant-pop receptive to contemporary trends. However, thanks to its wealth of external input, Mercy was a more eclectic product overall.
Where the aptly titled POPtical Illusion lacks in eclecticism, it gains in coherent personality. Lyrically, Cale explores characteristically macabre and anguished themes; haunting echo effects give his timeless vocal sonorous stature. Meanwhile, the album prospers from discerning productional finesse and an ingenious weave of classical and contemporary textures.
For fans of: Industrial soundscapes, Marmite and pensive late-night walks.
A concluding comment from Superhans: “You can keep your Jesus and your Buddha; this man is my God!”
POPtical Illusion track by track:
Release Date: June 14th | Producer: John Cale and Nita Scott | Label: Double Six / Domino
‘God Made Me Do It (don’t ask me again)’: Cale’s voice returns in its timeless glory as we dip our toes into the album. An exotic beat overlain with shimmering synth work eases us in gently as Cale sings, “There’s someone whispering in my ear tonight,” in a dreamy haze. [3.5/5]
‘Davies and Wales’: This light and leathery track prevails with a timeless quality akin to the material we grew accustomed to in Cale’s classic 1973 album Paris 1919. Yet, as a product of 2024, this track contains contemporary keyboard tones and almost danceable synths. [3.5/5]
‘Calling You Out’: After a comparatively upbeat start to the album, Cale settles into an intermediate gear for a productional delight. An unconventional beat tumbleweed periodically tangled in industrial sounds, guitar melodies and celestial keyboard tones. [4/5]
‘Edge of Reason’: This song evokes a dense rainforest with lush floral offerings and plenty of rain. The sanguine instrumentals juxtapose with uncertainty expressed in the lyrics as Cale sings, “Seems we’ve come too far to fix it,” before resurrecting one of his old motifs, “Fear is a man’s best friend”. [4/5]
‘I’m Angry’: He may be angry, but he’s not shouting about it. Instead, Cale brings one of the album’s most stripped-back compositions, featuring a simple synthesiser progression, muted guitar lead and some enveloping choral vocals. [4/5]
‘How We See The Light’: As the title suggests, this album contains plenty of accessible moments. This lead single is a worthy centrepiece for the album thanks to a beautifully crafted verse and chorus structure. In keeping with the rest of the album, the song is expressive and ethereal. [5/5]
‘Company Commander’: I imagine this song will be divisive like Marmite. Fortunately, I love Marmite. ‘Company Commander’ is an inventive composition that sounds like it was taken from a 1970s sci-fi movie. As a strangely pleasing mixture of tones resounds, Cale channels ‘Rosegarden Funeral of Sores’ as he sings, “Don’t you love it tonight? / You’re killing the constables every night”. [4/5]
‘Setting Fires’: Returning somewhat to conventional structures, this tranquil track features a pulsating beat that drifts in and out like the tide while Japanese ambient influences trade moments of intensity with orchestral strings and echoing sound effects. [4/5]
‘Shark-Shark’: If you forgot that Cale was once in an avant-garde rock band, this track might jog your memory. ‘Shark-Shark’ is the record’s most rock-adjacent song, thanks to an aggressive and fuzzy electronic rhythm. Traces of The Velvet Underground’s famous droning jams are tangible in this industrial mass. [4/5]
‘Funkball the Brewster’: Cale introduces the song with some haunting “doo, doo, doos”. The heavy echo gives the illusion of ecclesiastical architecture before the words, “Tell me to go to hell / I’ll be trying my best to do it”. The fittingly desolate soundscape is enhanced by an entrancing beat towards the close. [4.5/5]
‘All To The Good’: The master of avant-pop brings another mechanised beat to the fore, structuring the song with a coasting chorus break before resuming an attacking rhythm with colourful synth textures and vocal samples. [4/5]
‘Laughing In My Sleep’: For his penultimate offering, Cale shows what one can achieve with nearly 60 years of production experience. Classical strings cascade alongside a keyboard melody, driven all the while by a contemporary drum beat. “The rain has stopped / I wish it well / I hope it continues,” he sings, recapturing a thread sewn earlier in the album. [4/5]
‘There Will Be No River’: This closing ballad is the perfect closer for another progressive and enjoyable album from John Cale. Another stripped-back moment, the comparatively isolated piano progression provides a powerful conclusion with orchestral strings and poignant lyrics. [4/5]
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.