Gary Numan – Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)
18th January 2014Gary Numan is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of EDM and industrial music, and has influenced a large number of artists including Nine Inch Nails, The Foo Fighters, and Queens OF The Stone Age, to name just a few. And he’s still producing amazing music.
I personally became aware of his more recent work as a result of getting my hands on the digipak version of Fear Factory‘s 1998 album Obsolete, which came with bonus track cover version of Gary Numan‘s classic ‘Cars‘ – with Gary Numan on vocals. I was so impressed that I then bought myself Gary Numan‘s next album – 2000’s Pure – and was blown away by the dark and brooding industrial tunes.
Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind) was released back in October, but for one reason or another I’ve only just got my hands on a copy. And I’m kicking myself, because this is an amazing album that would have almost certainly been on my top 10 list for 2013.
Right from the start of opening track, ‘I Am Dust‘, you can tell that this is the work of a master. It’s eerie and dark, with a catchy as hell industrial undercurrent, spiced up with well placed distorted guitar riffs and Numan‘s uniquely haunting vocals.
Second track, ‘Here In The Black‘ prefectly sums up the whole album – it’s dark and edgy, with moments of quiet introspection, and moments of all rawness and hard hitting soundscapes. It’s all here – fantastic keyboard and synth work, cold robot like vocals, gritty guitar sounds, threatening gothic undertones, and bleak soul-searching lyrics.
There is not a weak moment among the 12 tracks on this album, and it’s impossible to pick a favourite because they are all so damn good – each time I listen to it something else grabs me, and I find myself thinking “aha – that’s the one!”. And it is… until the next listen.
If you are a fan of industrial music, do yourself a massive favour and get yourself a copy of Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind). Simply amazing!
Score: 9 out of 10
ALBUM INFO
Tracklist
01. I Am Dust
02. Here in the Black
03. Everything Comes Down to This
04. The Calling
05. Splinter
06. Lost
07. Love Hurt Bleed
08. A Shadow Falls On Me
09. Where I Can Never Be
10. We’re the Unforgiven
11. Who Are You
12. My Last Day
Release Date
14 October 2013
Record Label
Mortal Records/Cooking Vinyl
Website
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