Hamburg Demonstrations

ベイビーシャンブルズ～衝撃のザ・リバティーンズ再結成&アルバム発表と常にシーンを賑わし続け、まばゆいまでのカリスマ性を放つ永遠の悪童ピート・ドハーティがソロ名義では7年振りの新作『ハンブルグ・デモンストレーションズ』をリリース。

アルコールや薬物からくる奇行で音楽以外の側面でも常に話題をふりまく彼だが、その比類なきソングライティング能力は誰もが認めるところだろう。約6ヶ月強を費やし、FAUSTやTHE KILLERS、BOSNIAN RAINBOWSなどを手掛けるヨハン・シェーラーをプロデュースに迎え、ハンブルグにあるClouds Hill Recordingsにて制作され、彼の持つ繊細かつ大胆なメロディ・ラインが優しいアコースティックをベースにした音色と共に展開する、ピート・ドハーティの魅力がしっかりと詰め込まれている。

この新作『HAMBURG DEMONSTRATIONS』には、アルバムに先駆けて2016年4月に公開された"The Whole World Is Our Playground"のほか、2015年に彼が発表したエイミー・ワインハウスへのトリビュート曲"Flags From The Old Regime"、2015年11月にパリで起きた悲劇に影響を受けて彼が書き上げた"Hell To Pay At The Gates Of Heaven"、小説「ブライトン・ロック」の冒頭に登場するキャラクターに影響を受けて書いたという"Kolly Kibber"、そしてアナイス・ニンの著書「愛の家のスパイ(原題: A Spy In The House Of Love)」のタイトルをそのまま使った同名楽曲など、アーティストとしての才能に加え、詩人としての血も惜しまず注ぎ込んだ楽曲を多数収録。

自由奔放に解き放たれた破天荒な繊細さが、今愛すべきメロディを紡ぐ。まばゆいまでのカリスマ性を放つ永遠の悪童、PETER DOHERTY。BABYSHAMBLES～THE LIBERTINES再結成を経て、ソロ名義としては実に約7年振りとなる衝撃のソロ新作がアナログ盤でも登場!

Mojo (Publisher) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[Y]ou come away from HAMBURG DEMONSTRATIONS only further assured of the breadth and indestructibility of Doherty's talent." Clash (Magazine) - "Peter finds a sentimental way to articulate his experiences and character dealing with romances on two-parter `I Don't Love Anyone' as well as addressing the Bataclan attack with a defiant jaunt on `Hell To Pay At The Gates Of Heaven'."

Peter Doherty's music has always teetered between spontaneous and chaotic. Sometimes, this balancing act is thrilling; on Hamburg Demonstrations, it's charming. Doherty's second solo album is filled with appealingly loose songs that are more listenable than Babyshambles' Sequel to the Prequel and more exciting than the Libertines' return, Anthems for Doomed Youth. He also balances indulgence and restraint more nimbly than he might be given credit for. Recorded at Hamburg's acclaimed Clouds Hills studio as an homage to the Beatles' early days, Demonstrations marries the intimacy of a first take with surprisingly ambitious instrumentation that blends well, thanks to the low-key mood. "Kolly Kibbler"'s nods to French jazz and Graham Greene novels feel light and effortless, as does the way "A Spy in the House of Love" briefly morphs into James Bond intrigue before returning to its shuffle, or the way "Oily Boker"'s meditations on Arcadia intercut reveries and fanfares. As Doherty revisits familiar themes, his melodies and imagery are as potent as ever. The rawness of Hamburg Demonstrations' setting fits his voice and frame of mind on the Amy Winehouse tribute "Flags from the Old Regime," where the sound of his breath and fingers moving on the strings are as vital as the gliding chord progression. His combinations of the ragged and the majestic have grown more rollicking, sardonic, and poignant over the years; "I Don't Love Anyone (But You're Not Just Anyone)" undercuts its sweet melody with a segue into "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." This undercurrent of battlegrounds, romantic and otherwise, resurfaces on "Hell to Pay at the Gates of Heaven." Inspired by the 2015 attack at Paris' Bataclan concert hall, Doherty implores listeners to choose between John Lennon's favorite acoustic guitar model or an assault rifle with the passion of an old-school folk singer. While this song and "Down for the Outing" resemble more thoughtful Libertines songs, saving them for his own album allows him the freedom to pair them with a gently rustic ballad like the lovely "She Is Far." Doherty's solo career has resulted in some of his most rewarding music even if it's not the most attention-getting, and fans who have stuck with him this long will find a lot to enjoy on Hamburg Demonstrations. ~ Heather Phares

リバティーンズの復活盤も記憶に新しいなか、ふたたびピーターのソロ作品が聴けるとは何て幸せなことか。アナログ機材の揃うドイツのスタジオで録音した本作は、フォークやカントリーを中心にした作りという点で2009年の前作と通じる部分もある。が、鬱屈した雰囲気はなくなり、どの曲も穏やか。エイミー・ワインハウスに捧げたナンバーをはじめ、こんなに優しい彼と出会えるなんて10年前は想像すらしていなかった。
bounce (C)長崎耕平