AVALON

The ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere that permeates Avalon makes for a lovely and striking pop album. Here, Bryan Ferry has hit upon the inextricable link between love and tragedy, delivering his words of love as a spirit fading in and out of our world, flotsam on the ectoplasmic ebb and flow of music. It's a different album than anything Roxy Music or Ferry had yet made, inviting comparison as much to Brian Eno's languid Another Green World as the wilting romance of Flesh + Blood. The difference may be that Mackay and Manzanera are fully engaged here; the perfectly placed guitar parts and spectral keyboards are equal partners in the ultimate outcome, defining Avalon as much as Ferry's voice. But Avalon's real achievement is its songs: "More Than This," "Avalon," "Take A Chance With Me" and "To Turn You On" are so sophisticated that the love songs from Manifesto and Flesh + Blood pale in comparison. These are the album's centerpiece, around which more visceral tracks like "The Main Thing" and "The Space Between" simply act as a buffer. Also included here are a pair of instrumentals that reinforce the album's wistful, delicate mood. After an album this spectral and spectacular, the band's imminent demise carries less of a sting. It's the crowning achievement of the band's second coming, and by far the most flattering setting that Ferry has found for his romantic muse.