Album: Aerial
Artist: Kate Bush
At the heart of the song is the sense of time passing, with Bush reflecting on the death of her mother ("My mother and her little brown jug / it held her milk / and now it holds our memories") and how cities and civilisations rise and fall over the ages. In this respect, the song is similar to Shelley's poem Ozymandias, and the apocalyptic imagery of a city that's been submerged by climate change and destruction ("And the planes came crashing down") accompanies the stirring music. Other standout moments on the first side are King Of The Mountain, a dreamlike homage to Elvis, and How To Be Invisible, which blends a Fleetwood Mac sound with lyrics about the expectations of fans and British tabloid newspapers. It being a Kate Bush album, there are also moments of batshit craziness, such as Pi, on which the number's endless decimal places are recited by Bush against a backdrop of Baba O'Riley-style synths. Mrs. Bartolozzi uses the image of clothes spinning in a washing machine to create a bizarre sexual metaphor. Side 2, A Sky Of Honey, is undoubtedly a masterpiece and a dramatic shift in style from side 1, with its renaissance guitar and electric folk flavour. The string arrangements and hushed piano chords, as well as the joyous choruses, give A Sky Of Honey a classical feel and the moonlight swim section is reminiscent of Björk at her ethereal best. The ecstatic reaction to Bush's recent run of concerts, during which she performed A Sky Of Honey live, just shows how deeply her music is treasured.
Born: Welling, Kent
Released: November 2005
Genre: Baroque
Kate Bush has reached a status that few musicians enjoy, putting out records at her own leisurely pace, free from the normal pressures of the recording industry. After the release of The Red Shoes in 1993, Bush disappeared from public view for 12 years to raise her son Bertie (he's celebrated on the third track of Aerial). The long gaps between albums is similar to the approach of another artist working loosely within the pop format, Scott Walker, and Aerial shares some features with Walker's 2006 record The Drift, in processing events like 9/11 and the death of Elvis Presley. The main theme that dominates the first half of this double album is domestic bliss, and Bush's great achievement is making that -- normally quite dull -- subject engaging and entertaining. The second half of the record, entitled A Sky Of Honey, celebrates nature and has that quality of contemplative beauty that defines her best work. My favourite moment on the record, A Coral Room, is the transition point between both sides of the album, mixing personal themes with a celebration of the natural world.
Kate Bush has reached a status that few musicians enjoy, putting out records at her own leisurely pace, free from the normal pressures of the recording industry. After the release of The Red Shoes in 1993, Bush disappeared from public view for 12 years to raise her son Bertie (he's celebrated on the third track of Aerial). The long gaps between albums is similar to the approach of another artist working loosely within the pop format, Scott Walker, and Aerial shares some features with Walker's 2006 record The Drift, in processing events like 9/11 and the death of Elvis Presley. The main theme that dominates the first half of this double album is domestic bliss, and Bush's great achievement is making that -- normally quite dull -- subject engaging and entertaining. The second half of the record, entitled A Sky Of Honey, celebrates nature and has that quality of contemplative beauty that defines her best work. My favourite moment on the record, A Coral Room, is the transition point between both sides of the album, mixing personal themes with a celebration of the natural world.
At the heart of the song is the sense of time passing, with Bush reflecting on the death of her mother ("My mother and her little brown jug / it held her milk / and now it holds our memories") and how cities and civilisations rise and fall over the ages. In this respect, the song is similar to Shelley's poem Ozymandias, and the apocalyptic imagery of a city that's been submerged by climate change and destruction ("And the planes came crashing down") accompanies the stirring music. Other standout moments on the first side are King Of The Mountain, a dreamlike homage to Elvis, and How To Be Invisible, which blends a Fleetwood Mac sound with lyrics about the expectations of fans and British tabloid newspapers. It being a Kate Bush album, there are also moments of batshit craziness, such as Pi, on which the number's endless decimal places are recited by Bush against a backdrop of Baba O'Riley-style synths. Mrs. Bartolozzi uses the image of clothes spinning in a washing machine to create a bizarre sexual metaphor. Side 2, A Sky Of Honey, is undoubtedly a masterpiece and a dramatic shift in style from side 1, with its renaissance guitar and electric folk flavour. The string arrangements and hushed piano chords, as well as the joyous choruses, give A Sky Of Honey a classical feel and the moonlight swim section is reminiscent of Björk at her ethereal best. The ecstatic reaction to Bush's recent run of concerts, during which she performed A Sky Of Honey live, just shows how deeply her music is treasured.
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