The outward signs are misleading: this album is neither about some lighthearted "love of music" sentiment as the title might imply, nor is it a compendium of tortured schizophrenia as the cover artwork might imply. Although it is indeed an album of absolutely beautiful songs, and yes, the more or less schizophrenic to-and-fro of the post-modern daily grind informs much of the lyrics, the striking thing about this album is its accessibility and melodic richness. Coming from a man who had just previously dropped his
Babybird moniker and released an album under his given name, Stephen Jones, for the first time, it's a surprising about-face. That album, Almost Cured of Sadness, was indeed a challenging (and rewarding) listen, veering close to madness -- but, two years later, it's
Babybird again, and Jones comes at us in a very calm state of mind, communicating crystal clear, singing mostly about -- the value of love, no, even the joy of love for the most part! No obscure lyrical notions here -- this is definitely an album that many people will relate to. Starting with "Too Much," anyone can deeply sympathize with the feelings on display here. It's actually very much about gratitude. When the outside world seems too much, and when you feel deeply thankful for any true love and comfort you can get. Remarkably, variations on that theme are pretty much the whole extent of the album's lyrical content (although the few political asides are perfectly astute) but, most importantly, all 11 tracks turn out to be masterpieces of pop songwriting. The sound arrangements are a sort of "informed synth pop," not unfamiliar to longstanding
Babybird fans, but this time clarity trumps intricacy (although the details of its making might well be fascinating). Stephen Jones' singing is of course a focal point of this album's quality, with his calm, clear enunciation, gliding and soaring through the melodies, but tinged with that unique world-weary edge he has. After that "difficult first solo album" no one would have expected this, but this
Babybird album is indeed a very accessible and touching album -- one that truly should not remain a lost treasure. ~ Alan Severa