Brett Anderson: The Solo Album

"Nothing ever goes right / Nothing really flows in my life / No one really cares if no one ever shares my bed / People push by with fear in their eyes in my life / Love is dead" proclaims Anderson in a Morrissey-esque moan to kick off his self-titled debut solo album.'Love Is Dead', the first single, is a rare beast. Its a perfectly executed song that concisely sums up feelings of desperation and loneliness without any unnecessary verbosity. Heavy strings (courtesy of Dirty Pretty Strings) paired with Anderson's pained voice make a perfect melancholic partnership. Its the type of song that rarely comes around and is without doubt a real gem of the album.

This release has been keenly anticipated by every Suede and The Tears fan for nearly 2 years (me not being one of them). Co written with Fred Ball (whose main project is electro-pop act 'Pleasure') the first half sets its stall out to be a relatively upbeat and exquisitely melodic collection of pop/rock songs, but this disguises a very haunting second half to the album. Its like going from a warm and sunny Saturday morning driving through the countryside straight into a lonely Friday night sat in a torrential downpour waiting for the night bus. Lines like "Summer's gone... I've lost my love to the winter", "Your love's like an overdose, with your hands wrapped around my throat... I am the needle you are the vein", "Carve your name into my uglyness", "My love she hides a cruel disease" exhibit a desperate depressive introspection that cannot fail to transform a content listener into a quivering wreck. But its this immense power that makes this album so special. "No guests, no gimmicks, just me and the music" says Anderson. I do get the sense that he is telling no lies on this project, it is his most honest and vulnerable work to date. It does give the listener a glimpse into the inner workings of a man who has been so influential in British guitar-based music since the early 90's. Whilst this album will undoubtedly satisfy any die-hard Anderson fanatic, if given chance, it would also be right up the street of anyone who likes their rock music with a twist of haunting melancholy. Drowned in strings and deep melody, the arrangements float graciously and the lyrical content is at times as heavy as an anvil which can both crush you and leave you humbled at its descriptive and narrative quality. Anderson's lyrical themes, terminology and phrasing have always bared a strong resemblance to that of the great Morrissey - whom he has always admitted forms a major influence. Compared to the lyrical content in much of Suede's material, Anderson's style as a solo artist delivers the message without ambiguity but in an equally vivid and blunt manner. However, its not all about lost or unrequited love as the subject matter takes 'stabs' at modern consumerism ("The more we possess, the less we own of ourselves"), questions god and religion (One Lazy Morning) and finishes with the very emotional 5 minute "Song For My Father" which is clearly about the recent passing of Anderson's own father. (If you can manage to make it past the first two minutes of the track without shedding a tear, you are officially emotionally dead.)

It is a mature piece of work. So mature in fact that it runs the risk that a lot of its expected audience will be too immature to fully appreciate it. Keep this album close to hand for a break-up, depressive streak, wind/rain/thunder, long train journeys on a sunday afternoon with a hangover or diagnosis of a terminal illness... its music that will turn the sun black and leave you gasping for air - hopefully you'll come back up!

Brett Anderson's solo album is released on March 26th on Drowned in Sound.

Video: Brett Anderson - Love Is Dead:


Links:
Brett Anderson official site: brettanderson.co.uk