Artist: Simple Minds
Label: Universal Music Group
Release: 2009
Rating: 5/5
Well, well. As the years roll by, practically silent and unnoticed, the bands on the stage of commercial success and media pomp change like autumn leaves on the trees. Then came the eighties, and that’s when Simple Minds shot into that space too, as important representatives of the new wave post-punk movement, which, with its own recognizable artistry, gave pop rock back its intelligence and sense, and in a refined way calmed the virus called punk, which by then had already done too much lasting, irreversible damage to the marketing of good music anyway.
Looking back at the eighties today, quality was a lot easier to sell than it is now. But only quality is what makes your name and your body of work timeless. And Simple Minds are part of that beautiful side of the rock music trade! You can make a pile of money. No problem. But if there’s no quality, no recognizable artistry of your own, nobody will remember you in 10 years. The real measure of an artist is supposed to be the pursuit of timelessness in their creations. And real artists in rock are getting fewer and fewer in the young generation today.
The comeback album released in 2005, titled “Black & White 0505050,” already brought plenty of reasons to celebrate. Simple Minds, who reunited for that album in the original lineup of Jim Kerr (vocals), Charlie Burchill (guitar), Mark Taylor (keyboards), Eddy Duffy (bass) and Mel Gaynor (drums), carry on the story of the previous album with “Grafitti Soul.” The new album doesn’t just prove it, it confirms that Simple Minds are a band that ripens with age like a good wine. “Graffiti Soul” is a typical Simple Minds album, one that follows in the footsteps of the band’s best work in every way. Unlike “Black & White 0505050,” this time around it’s an album with a bit more unbridled, bouncy rock content, feeling a touch less personal, confessional and subtle. It also doesn’t have quite as dark an atmosphere as its predecessor.
Simpe Minds sound absolutely unburdened again on the new album. They build their songs on concise, simple movements, which they string together and shape into a deeply meaningful whole, compact, well-versed songs that all enjoy a triumphant union of infectious listenability and lofty atmosphere, achieved with plenty of experience and a clear stance that follows the goal and vision of studio creativity.
“Graffiti Soul” also has that exceptional sonic breadth, which the band builds by showcasing sonic collages of the individual building blocks of Simple Minds music. In this way they create a picturesque spectrum of blending sonic contrasts. That depth is achieved through the flow of the “wound-up warmth” of the actively pulsing, melodic and thick bass line, which forms a solid support and backbone for the songs and coexists, tried and true, in dynamic symbiosis with Gaynor’s full drum swings. In the songs, which are written mostly at a mid-tempo pace, there’s a huge amount of space where guitarist Charlie Burchill can impress the listener with the outstanding colorful sonic interweavings he devises. There are atmospheric background sound loops, which he builds with lots of “delays,” and in front of them he places his active guitar playing, built on a minimalism of chord picking, occasional dramatic but controlled presses on the wah-wah pedal, or just relaxed “rocking” of chords. Often Burchill slyly, delicately “fans” and further emphasizes his sensual perfectionism of gentle, unobtrusive guitar movements of sincerely sensing many moods, by creating a background curtain of mellifluous guitar synths that joins his active playing and, in that hypnotic sonic daze, shoots you straight back to the eighties. Along with all this, it’s worth pointing out that the collages Burchill creates feel organic, grounded, natural. Not a hint of pretentiousness. Everything is laid down in carefully placed doses, in carefully chosen spots. This is an album of exceptional control!
Then there’s Jim Kerr, without whom the music of Simple Minds would never be so captivating and would never carry such a strong and expressively convincing message of this band’s uniqueness. The man is a master of sensual, unpretentious articulation of the incredible warmth of his recognizable vocal approach. The song Light Travels in particular presents Kerr in the full essence of his expression. In it, Jim is like a chameleon, with a subtle refinement that varies through the singing, which at points borders on a whispered exhale and at others a muted, sensual huskiness, controllably dosing the basic color of his voice in different measures. His vocal performance convincingly strings together the many moods the band wants to bring to life, as a unit, through its artistic approach. One more hypothesis in favor of Jim Kerr’s greatness as a singer: if Bono in U2 were ever to “bail,” they’d know exactly where to look for a replacement. Whether Kerr would accept the invitation is another question.
There are nine songs. All of them carry the unmistakable spirit of Simple Minds, while swinging between each other in terms of motifs, which guarantees the album’s exceptional dynamic density. The same goes for the creation of its many atmospheres, which carry the trademark of unpredictable dramatic turns. That factor keeps the listener in constant tension and alertness. Add the incredible invasiveness of the album’s melodically polished component, offered by songs that dig deep into the listener’s senses and consciousness on the very first listen, and it’s not hard to conclude that this is yet another great studio achievement from the band. There are no favorites. No songs competing over which one will be the hit, even though the opener Moscow Underground and Rockets are practically begging for it. Simple Minds are totally unburdened about that today. Still, let me throw in the fact that for the first time in many years the album has also climbed onto the chart in their home country, the United Kingdom, where a week after release it landed at an excellent number ten among the best-selling albums. Maybe it was precisely the band’s indifference that brought the success, as all they want today is to enjoy writing their music without a care.
“Soul Graffiti” is a highly fluid and dynamic album. It offers superb production with optimally used sonic breadth and depth, perfect melodic density and a one-of-a-kind symbiosis and arrangement of the majestic communication between its individual building blocks. An album that gently touches the deepest corners of your soul. Let yourself be seduced and surrender to it, because it will reward and enrich you fully in every way.
Lineup
Jim Kerr – vocals
Charlie Burchill – guitar, keyboards
Eddie Duffy – bass
Mel Gaynor – drums
Production
Simple Minds & Jez Coad
Track List
01. Moscow Underground (5:01)
02. Rockets (4:36)
03. Stars Will Lead The Way (3:26)
04. Light Travels (4:12)
05. Kiss And Fly (5:01)
06. Graffiti Soul (4:48)
07. Blood Type O (3:49)
08. This Is It (4:55)
09. Shadows And Light (2:56)
10. Rockin’ In The Free World* (4:17)
* bonus track, a cover of the original by Neil Young
