Peter Gabriel: Quintessential heroic swells and longingly soulful voice. Photo / Getty Images
Peter Gabriel: Quintessential heroic swells and longingly soulful voice. Photo / Getty Images
A leisurely 21 years since Up, his last album of original material, Peter Gabriel has made an interesting return: every full moon since January he released a new song, now compiled as i/o (in/out) which arrive in two mixes by Grammy-winning producers – “Bright Side” by Brit Spike Stent and“Dark Side” by American Tchad Blake. There are also “In-Side” mixes on the expanded CD sets.
That makes for intricately detailed listening, and as expected, i/o is layered with interesting sounds, percussion and deep thoughts.
Its supporting cast includes Brian Eno, long-time fellow musicians Tony Levin (bass) and David Rhodes (guitar), string and horn players, and choirs from Sweden and Soweto. And one edition of the album has artwork for each song by Ai Weiwei, Nick Cave and Olafur Eliasson, among others.
Despite that collision of talent, this rarely sounds crowded, and Gabriel’s distinctively snapping, menacing and longingly soulful voice remains central.
The Bright mix of the ballad Playing for Time is quintessential Gabriel, rising to a heroic swell as he contemplates the passage of time, memory and love: “The young move to the centre, the mum and dad the frame.”
It becomes more anguished and resigned in the Dark mix.
The title track embraces a philosophical view of life (“stuff coming out, stuff going in, I’m just a part of everything”). The skeletal and scratchy Dark mix of Four Kinds of Horsemen recalls the unnerving songs on his third self-titled solo album in 1980 (aka Melt); and This is Home connects with his world music/funk and sounds brighter, more intimate and poppy in the Dark mix: “Here beside the churning sea a calm came over me, ‘cause I know this is home. Home is where I need to be.”
Some pieces get by on the arrangements and lofty sentiments, but over 2 1/4 hours of Bright and Dark, big-brain Gabriel offers plenty to digest, best appreciated in small servings.
