Album: Modern Times
Recorded: May 2006
Released: August 2006
Recorded: May 2006
Released: August 2006
Songs / length: 12 / 63:04
Though Modern Times arrived a full 5 years after Dylan's previous album, you could say by now he was on a bit of a roll, with three critically-acclaimed records in a row (including this one). Critical renown translated into commercial success, with Modern Times becoming Dylan's first No.1 US album for 30 years. It's been a favourite of mine for the past decade, and when writing my book Pop 365 I had to think hard about which to include among Modern Times, "Love & Theft" and Time Out of Mind, partly opting for the latter because of the strength and clarity of its songwriting.
Musically, Modern Times is probably my favourite of the three, thanks to its wide range of styles, ranging from the Chuck Berry-style 50s rock & roll of Thunder On The Mountain to the relaxed lounge music vibe of Spirit On The Water and the Delta blues of Rollin '& Tumblin'. Lyrically, it's one of his hardest records to comprehend, starting with his obsession with Alicia Keys in the second verse of Thunder On The Mountain. Dylan appears to adopt a range of different voices in the song, from religious visionary ("Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king") to revolutionary ("Gonna raise me an army"), but he ends on a note of resignation ("I’ll plant and I’ll harvest what the earth brings forth"), as if to say that the best response to this crazy world is to seek respite in the simple life.
Religious overtones can be found even more strongly in Spirit On The Water, right from its opening line – "darkness on the face of the deep" – which summons up the opening verses of Genesis, and it's essentially a love song that stretches out for 8 marvellous minutes. I also love the soulful, slightly mournful tone of When The Deal Goes Down, which details the "transient joys" of this "earthly domain full of disappointment and pain", and Beyond The Horizon also finds solace in the promise of love as a refuge from the "treacherous sea" of our existence.
For me, two of the more fascinating songs on the record are the ballad Workingman's Blues #2 – prescient in its focus on inequality and how globalisation creates winners and losers – and Nettie Moore, inspired by a traditional folk song from the mid-19th century. As with many of the songs on the record, both are imaginative reinterpretations of lyrics and melodies from a wide array of American genres – including blues, gospel and rock & roll – as well as British & Irish folk.
The final two tracks, The Levee's Gonna Break and Ain't Talkin', return to the theme of mortality that Dylan explored more extensively on Time Out Of Mind. The first takes it inspiration from Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie's wonderful 1929 Delta blues song, which was also covered by Led Zeppelin, while Ain't Talkin' has its roots in bluegrass and Irish folk. The Levee's Gonna Break generates an atmosphere of coming catastrophe, while the majestic Ain't Talkin' finds Dylan growling and trudging through a desolate afterworld, full of regret and unable to liberate himself from the concerns of earthly life.
Album rating: A-
Though Modern Times arrived a full 5 years after Dylan's previous album, you could say by now he was on a bit of a roll, with three critically-acclaimed records in a row (including this one). Critical renown translated into commercial success, with Modern Times becoming Dylan's first No.1 US album for 30 years. It's been a favourite of mine for the past decade, and when writing my book Pop 365 I had to think hard about which to include among Modern Times, "Love & Theft" and Time Out of Mind, partly opting for the latter because of the strength and clarity of its songwriting.
Musically, Modern Times is probably my favourite of the three, thanks to its wide range of styles, ranging from the Chuck Berry-style 50s rock & roll of Thunder On The Mountain to the relaxed lounge music vibe of Spirit On The Water and the Delta blues of Rollin '& Tumblin'. Lyrically, it's one of his hardest records to comprehend, starting with his obsession with Alicia Keys in the second verse of Thunder On The Mountain. Dylan appears to adopt a range of different voices in the song, from religious visionary ("Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king") to revolutionary ("Gonna raise me an army"), but he ends on a note of resignation ("I’ll plant and I’ll harvest what the earth brings forth"), as if to say that the best response to this crazy world is to seek respite in the simple life.
Religious overtones can be found even more strongly in Spirit On The Water, right from its opening line – "darkness on the face of the deep" – which summons up the opening verses of Genesis, and it's essentially a love song that stretches out for 8 marvellous minutes. I also love the soulful, slightly mournful tone of When The Deal Goes Down, which details the "transient joys" of this "earthly domain full of disappointment and pain", and Beyond The Horizon also finds solace in the promise of love as a refuge from the "treacherous sea" of our existence.
For me, two of the more fascinating songs on the record are the ballad Workingman's Blues #2 – prescient in its focus on inequality and how globalisation creates winners and losers – and Nettie Moore, inspired by a traditional folk song from the mid-19th century. As with many of the songs on the record, both are imaginative reinterpretations of lyrics and melodies from a wide array of American genres – including blues, gospel and rock & roll – as well as British & Irish folk.
The final two tracks, The Levee's Gonna Break and Ain't Talkin', return to the theme of mortality that Dylan explored more extensively on Time Out Of Mind. The first takes it inspiration from Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie's wonderful 1929 Delta blues song, which was also covered by Led Zeppelin, while Ain't Talkin' has its roots in bluegrass and Irish folk. The Levee's Gonna Break generates an atmosphere of coming catastrophe, while the majestic Ain't Talkin' finds Dylan growling and trudging through a desolate afterworld, full of regret and unable to liberate himself from the concerns of earthly life.
Album rating: A-
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