Kate Bush - Director's Cut

Updated on Jun 5, 2011 by Russ

Editor's note: Atlanta-based Collin Kelley is, in addition to being a fantastic writer, a dear friend of, and oft-contributor to, soldout. When he wrote saying he'd done the deed--contextualized, properly, Kate Bush's Director's Cut, soldout welcomed it eagerly. Collin's also provided a healthy essential guide to Kate's work, posted as an addendum/follow-up to this review. 

Kate Bush – Director’s Cut (2011, Fish People)

By Collin Kelley

Iconoclastic Kate Bush recently released her ninth studio album, Director's Cut, on her newly created label, Fish People. When Bush announced that her next album would be re-workings of songs from 1989's The Sensual World and 1993's The Red Shoes, fan reaction was mixed. When the track-listing was made public, there was collective apoplexy that Bush would have the temerity to monkey with classics like "This Woman's Work," "The Sensual World" and "Moments of Pleasure." How very dare she!

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But when you open up to me

"The City". The first single from Patrick Wolf's Lupercalia. It, unlike pretty much any other first single from a P-Wolf record to date, doesn't yield at first poke. Wolfie? In a car? Kissing a shopgirl from Forever 21 ? What the fuck is this, from the dude whose name is Tristian and all that? First time I heard this, I pounded my fists on the table shrieking "what about THE MAGIC POSITION? LEFT RIGHT, PATRICK, LEFT RIGHT?" 

The E Street Band sax on Gaga's "Edge of Glory" brought me back to this song, though, which borrows even more heavily from the Boss's just-fucking-run-into-the-summer ethos. And now that winter's taken her coat off and it's actually possible to sweat from just stepping outside, "The City" makes sense. "The City" is Patrick running into the adolescence that he lost to "A Boy Like Me". "The City" is reckless abandon, unconcerned with the perception of others.

I
Won't let the city destroy our love
Won't let the city destroy my love
Won't let no mistake take the roof from off our heads
No I
Won't let this city destroy us
Won't let the city destroy our love  

It's a battle cry for optimisim, for boundless youth. A "there, there" for those (of us) who grew up too dark, too fucked, too jaded to ever believe that a car and a girl and a porch swing could save us. But, hell, if Patrick Wolf is casting himself as the pied piper of a new glass-is-half-full movement? I just might be able to believe in that. 

Dance Off of the Sexes

I'm not much for the battle of the sexes. It's just not my feminism. I don't think the girls versus guys competition really gets us anywhere, it just breeds more animosity between the sexes.

But if we're talking dance offs...it is ON. Which is why I really, really hope that Beyonce's latest is the first in a series of girls versus boys dance offs. I feel like the Spice Girls really threw down the gauntlet in the late 90's with their Girl Power schtick but from a feminist see-privilege-say-something stance, it was really White Girl Power...so it's nice to see Beyonce taking it into the next century with a more inclusive stance. The dudes in riot gear in the desert bring it into a contemporary international setting (veiled implication, y'all).

So. Who do you think will return the volley?

Update on May 26, 2011 by Russ

I think the recycling of an old Major Lazer beat--the auto-tuned crying baby, basically one of that album's calling card statements--is a little lazy. Guess Diplo's too busy talking shit about M.I.A. and, like, getting tatts  all "cap on rim bent Denzel e'ry time" to try for B. 

Born this Way reviewed in pictures by Everett True

Nails it with #1... Click through for the brilliance.

i thought...

new Iamami...and one of her best.