Poison Season

Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Bejar stacks rainy-New York sax magic, sad-astronaut strings and hippie jazzbo grooving to make songs that are as wryly hilarious as they are weirdly affecting." Spin - "[O]ne of the best albums from a restless artist who understands the ridiculousness of being a Restless Artist, but trusts that a consistent voice will make sense of his cross-genre meanderings." Spin - "Anxious strings and taut winds put a chill into the whisper-croons of 'Forces From Above' and 'Girl in a Sling'..." Entertainment Weekly - "[O]ver 13 tracks, he unspools anthemic power chords, swaggering horns, and gimlet-eyed tales of his journeys around the world, from London to Bangkok." -- Grade: A- Magnet - "[I]t pushes in new and exciting directions, sometimes relying on classical string quartets, sometimes revving up into the rock `n' soul territory of Bowie's Young Americans or early Springsteen." NME (Magazine) - "[I]t's fitting that an album that often feels like a determined attempt to dodge any pigeonholing is populated by characters determined to swim against the tide..." Clash (Magazine) - "His latest opus is more concerned with synths than strings; a richly orchestrated work that's bookended by flowery arrangements of album centrepiece 'Times Square'..."

ニュー・ポルノグラファーズのダン・ベイハーによるソロ10作目。インディーAOR人気を先駆けた2011年の前作をも凌ぐクリスタルな歌心はもちろん、管弦楽団を迎えたゴージャスなアンサンブルにも胸が高鳴る。冒頭と7曲目、そしてラストと3度も登場する"Times Square"は本作の重要なモチーフになっており、70年代中～後期のブルース・スプリングスティーンとデヴィッド・ボウイを意識したものだとか。
bounce (C)上野功平