Search - John Cale :: Hobo Sapiens

Best Album of 2003

John E. Kraus | Apex, NC, USA | 12/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a John Cale fan for 20 years now, merely a neophyte considering his 40 year career in music. It is amazing that as Cale hits 61 years old, he releases the finest album of his long career (and that includes his numerous collaborations [Velvet Underground, Brian Eno, Lou Reed, Nico, et al.]). Whereas earlier albums thematically tilted one way or the other-- Paris 1919 = polished pop; Honi Soit = art rock; Words for the Dying = classicism; Walking on Locusts = adult contemporary (this is not an insult); Fear/Slow Dazzle/Helen of Troy = Avant-Pop; Music for a New Society = minimalist rock, etc-- Hobosapiens is a seamless synthesis of Cale's sometimes competing sensibilities. What comes of this is a work of "art" (yeah, I know, it is a music CD, but...) that transcends trends/styles/labels. Repeated listening enriches the experience and reveals the depth, musically and lyrically, of the material. I hope that Cale's current productivity with EMI (5 Tracks, Hobosapiens) mirrors his prolific work during the Island years. I can't wait to hear what's next! Stand-out tracks include: Things, Magritte, Archimedes, Over Her Head, and the incredible Letter From Abroad (as defamiliarizing as Gun was in the 1970's). EMI--> give this thing a formal release in the USA!"

Pleasant surprise

Oliver Ignatius | NY | 01/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This newest of John Cale solo outings is surprising for its inherent tunefulness. Yes, after decades of avant-garde experimentation, the man has buckled down and recorded a pop album, if a very intelligent one. His voice retains its fragile Welsh warmth and the entire album drips with soul. A very pleasant surprise."

A return to form, and then some...

Wee Jimmy | Tring, Hertfordshire United Kingdom | 12/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My sister's boyfriend says this album's a career's worth of ideas crammed into 60 minutes, and I'm inclined to agree. John Cale hasn't done anything this incendiary since 1982's Music for A New Society - it's criminal that that album's out of print, and even more so that this one hasn't had a US release. As a Brit and a proud owner of a copy, I can assure you that this is well worth importing. As nobody else has reviewed this on Amazon.com, I'll give it the full track by track treatment.Zen - Opening with a chilly unresolved synth chord and gradually building into a spookily arranged masterpiece, this is the perfect album opener, with a nice hint of ambiguity - as with Everything in its Right Place on Radiohead's Kid A, it could go anywhere from here.
Reading My Mind - The direction the music does take, however, is something of a surprise. This is Cale in 'pop' mode, with an apparently lighthearted driving song with a desperate undertow, the lyrics implying man's loss of control over technology.
Things - A tribute to the late Warren Zevon and the catchiest song on the album. Soon, you too will be singing 'the thing you do in Denver when you're dead' repeatedly, to the annoyance of friends and family.
Look Horizon - Suddenly, as if the last two tracks were just a diversion, Cale switches seamlessly back into a more experimental style. Over fascinating loops and bewitching strings, he berates the stupidity of the world's leaders with refreshing subtlety and intelligence.
Magritte - As this song gradually fades in, you are uncertain what to expect, then are left breathless when what you get is possibly the best use of a cello in contemporary music since late Nirvana. And a really great falsetto moment two minutes in.
Archimedes - A melancholic opening suddenly explodes into a lurchingly wierd pop song, one of the many stunning stylistic turns on the album that leave you guessing right up to the last track. Particularly great are the oooh-ooh-ooh-ooh backing vocals that shouldn't belong but somehow sound like they were born to be put in this setting.
Caravan - The intro to this song sounds exactly like Heroin by Velvet Underground, before gradually building into the most epic song on the album, resplendent with demented Beach Boys backing vocals and achingly tired-sounding vocals. Possibly the best song on here, but I'm not committing to anything.
Bike - A simple groove, a catchy vocal hook and Brian Eno's daughters giggling. Once again, Cale has effortlessy switched styles without sounding the least bit uncomfortable and fragmented...
Twilight Zone - ...and again. From catchy danceability to pure discordant rage. Over the next few tracks the music sounds like it's falling apart. One of Cale's best lyrics of the album here, alternately ranting and sneering, and still backed up by those inspired backing vocals.
Letter From Abroad - Even angrier than Twilight Zone, this song starts with the sound of someone mutilating an acoustic guitar and builds from there to an enraged, completely unmelodic chorus featuring Cale, horribly distorted, yelling 'Afghanistan Afghanistan, whatever happened to you?' The song then collapses back to the original guitar riff while Cale snarls repeatedly 'I understand, no problem'.
Things X - A desconstructed, demonic version of Things. The ghost of the song floats above a nasty, clicky drum loop as Cale slurs his way through the lyrics sounding like a terminal alcoholic. The song ends with the sound of a brass band playing Land of Hope and Glory, slowly fading into the distance.
Over Her Head - In which everything is brought back together for the grand finale. A ghostly love song, both melancholic and menacing, with a beautiful piano hook. And - but of course! - it explodes one last time at the end into a squall of feedback. The perfect end to a damn near perfect album.I seriously can't fault HoboSapiens. It takes a few listens before you get it, but when you do you can't get enough of it, and you hear something new every time you listen. Possibly the album of the year - and I've got the Mars Volta album..."