INCOHERENCE

Despite some of the enthusiastic reviews I've seen for this album, as someone who does have time for 'Pawn Hearts' and the best of Hammill's work from the 1970s/1980s, I thought that this was exceptionally predictable and occasionally genuinely poor and uninspired.

The main offenders for me are the poor midi keyboard sounds, the overwritten lyrics and the complete absence of melody (it seems as if the words were completed beforehand and Hammill has clumsily imposed his singing over the atmospheric backing tracks).

The theme may be about the difficulty of us using language to effectively communicate with one another, but ironically, the album's naive and polysyllabic lyrics get in the way of any true connection between the artist and the audience. Hammill seems detached from his work and his all too familiar whisper to a scream theatrical vocals serve only to illustrate a certain creative exhaustion throughout this project.

That said, the sax and guitar contributions are good, the atmospheric textures are interesting, and even at his worst, Hammill is a unique talent with one of the most distinctive voices in rock history.

Worth checking out for completists, but one to avoid for people wanting an introduction to Hammill (I'd suggest 'Pawn Hearts', 'Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night' or 'The Future Now' instead).