Philip Selway – ‘Strange Dance’ album review: An orchestral marvel
After teasing fans with a run of promising singles, Philip Selway, the multi-talented drummer of Radiohead, has delivered his third studio album, Strange Dance. As the preview singles indicated, the album follows a more textured, atmospheric thread than his previous projects, 2014’s Weatherhouse and the sparse acoustic debut of 2010, Familial.
Following recent rumours, it appears Radiohead fans will have to wait a little longer for solid news on a reunion. Until then, we have the enveloping and emotive Strange Dance to keep us busy. As Selway proved in the earlier releases of his solo career, he has a knack for songwriting that deserved to crawl from under the shade of Thom Yorke’s towering locker. Strange Dance brings us an updated collection of Selway’s lyrical musings, impressively enhanced by a strong army of collaborating musicians.
In his recent chat with this publication, Selway was asked who influenced the material on the new album. Fortunately, Selway was able to work with most of the musicians who have inspired him most in recent years. “So I was really lucky with this one,” he said. “The artists who influenced me, the musical voices that I wanted, were the musicians I wanted to work with as well. That’s why I approached them, so it’s Quinta, Adrian Utley, Hannah Peel, and then Laura Moody, who does all the string arrangements. They were all the elements I saw in the bigger soundscape of the music. So yeah, that doesn’t happen very often. Rarely, you have your dream team wish list, and they all say, ‘Yes.'”
The album opens triumphantly with ‘Little Things’, one of my personal highlights which sets a precedent for the album, both musically and thematically. The track pulsates with piano lines and rippling synth sounds that build gradually as Selway gently intones: “Don’t believe what they say/They will take you apart/Tear your soul/Break your heart”. These lyrics harken back to Radiohead’s characteristic cynicism before the song opens into a galaxy of orchestral bliss towards the close as the drums finally kick in.
In ‘Check for Signs of Life’, especially, Moody’s delicately arranged string contributions soar through the intense mid-section of the track to give sentimental courage to proceedings. This plaintive yet stoic edge is echoed through the album’s other powerfully atmospheric tracks, such as ‘The Other Side’ and ‘The Heart of It All’.
The obscure beat in the intro of ‘Strange Dance’ winds with synths to create the album’s most intriguing and adventurous moment. As the soundscape unfolds, Selway treats the song to one of his most dynamic vocal performances. In his recent conversation with Far Out, he described it as one of his personal favourites on the release. “I love that one,” he said. “It’s also probably the lowest register I’ve ever sung; maybe that was a Tom Waits thing as well, I don’t know.”
While the album maintains a pensive and moody thread – after all, Selway is a member of Radiohead – there are moments of budding hope and rays of light. A subtle yet energetic and airy acoustic rhythm guitar progression gives a light, airy feel to ‘Make It Go Away’, which joins the orchestral crescendos with beams of adventure and curiosity. Later, the album’s closing track, ‘There’ll Be Better Days’, begins as another mournful ballad but drifts toward the brighter realms of optimism as Selway sings the titular refrain.
Overall, the album carries a wealth of inspired songwriting, skilled musicianship and production, and, of course, Selway’s warm, endearing vocals, which perfectly match his personality. The only thing the album perhaps lacks is balance in the form of variation. This is more of a personal preference than a criticism, but I’d like to hear a broader range of emotions and more distinctive stylistic changes between the tracks.
Strange Dance carries powerful DNA that tells of despair, anxiety and, ultimately, new hope. Though the songs have come together over several years, Selway and his dream team have delivered an inspired and tessellating collection of tracks. It’s a pensive, orchestral marvel and Selway’s greatest solo achievement to date.
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