Listening to the talent that is Alison Moyet takes me back to the 1980s and possibly the biggest vocal talent to come out of that creative morass that was British New Wave. In her latest instalment, “Other” she has maintained (or perhaps retreated to) the electronic pop genre that seems to be her mainstay.
First song “Germinate” has a wall-of-sound quality which leads in the listener with the significant reliance on synthesised music. The qualities of Moyet’s powerful voice are more pronounced in “Lover, Go” as a reliance on melody snakes its way into this creation. An aggressive violin intro is the feature of “The Rarest Birds” with the most pop – catchy song seen in “Beautiful Gun“.
“April 10th” is the highlight – a poetic form supported more with sound effects than music. It is here that Moyet demonstrates a literary maturity that should sustain her for decades to come. It begins with a description of fog like “boiled wool” and goes on to provide description of “concrete grey” and “audience surly” economising her descriptions as well as any renowned poet. Her Plath like reference to “bell jar space this hour, this light” underscores her understanding of mid-century poetry and the haunting effect it has had on the collective psyche in the Western world.
Moyet completes her album with more organic choices. In the title song “Other” her voice is higher, Soprano like in its delivery with a simple piano accompaniment, and again displaying the poetic tendencies found in the previous offering. The final tune “Alive” provides a combination of synth music with unadorned vocals allowing the 56 year old with an opportunity to display the joint theme running through this whole album.
A very gratifying album and a joy to witness a true talent that has no plan of waning.
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