ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Album # 45 is Aerial by Kate Bush from 2005.

A 12 year break between albums is enough to make you wonder what happened. Kate Bush return is - as she says - "just another album", and she didn't mean it to take this long. It just ended up taking more than a decade to write and record the songs that make up Aerial. With some time off to lead anormal life including raising a son who's now seven years old.

When she released The Red Shoes back in 1993 she was 35. With Aerial finally out she's 47. You're supposed to mellow with age. And she has. Or at least that's the overall sound of the record. Mellow but never bland. Open and spacious. The album has a warm, wonderfully organic production that will - sadly - almost certainly be lost in the low quality compressed sound RadioDupree use.
Acoustic instruments in a live feel and most tracks get the chance to expand above and beyond five minutes.

It's still Kate with those odd melodies and twists and turns. Poetic, obscure and beautiful lyrics.

Aerial will certainly be counted among her very best albums. Do yourself a favour and give it a listen! You'll be a better man/woman for it. Promise!

We've got a competition running that you can enter to win a copy. Check out the RadioDupree blog for more information.

P.S.
If you're the type that enjoys or maybe even crave namedropping; yes, Pink Floyd lead guitarist David Gilmour who helped her get a recording contract when she was 16, does make a guest appearance on Aerial. As does jazz drummer Peter Erskine and ex-Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker.

N.S.

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