Dream Into It

10年以上ぶりのフルアルバム

9枚目のスタジオ・アルバムとなる今作。パンクロックを夢見る若きビリーが革手袋をはめたMTVのアイコンとして再出発するまでの、豊かで非常にパーソナルなストーリーや、その後の名声の代償となる様々な困難や家族のことなど『Dream Into It』は物語っている。
プロデューサーはTommy English。またJoan JettとAlison Mosshartをフィーチャーし、長年のコラボレーターであるSteve Stevensも参加している。

Call him a punk-pop icon, but Billy Idol is also a rock journeyman on 2025s introspective yet still swaggeringly fun Dream into It. Produced by Tommy English, the singers ninth studio album moves deftly between blisteringly hooky pop-punk anthems and more atmospheric midtempo cuts, all of which nicely evoke the genre-crossing dance-rock of Idols best work. As with all of his albums since his early-2000s renaissance, it also features plenty of sonic riffage from his longtime collaborator, guitarist Steve Stevens. English -- who has worked with a stylistically varied mix of artists, including BORNS, Foster the People, and blink-182 -- brings a warmth to the production, kicking up the guitars when needed, but also adding in subtle synth and drum machine textures that smartly evoke an 80s pop atmosphere. This is especially true on the title track, which has an illusory, romantic quality, as if Idols life is bending in upon itself as he ruminates on what has come and gone. Theres a feeling of returning to the scene of the crime and reliving past glories, as well as failures, on Dream into It. Its a sentiment he digs into on the propulsive "Too Much Fun," detailing his infamously hard-living lifestyle that derailed his career. Its also redolent on "77," his exuberant duet with Avril Lavigne in which he pays homage to his heady, rebellious punk youth as the singer with Generation X, kicking around with all the other "punks and skins and teddy boys." Other nicely curated guests show up, including the Kills singer Alison Mosshart on "John Wayne" and the indomitable Joan Jett, who brings her own throaty gravitas to "Wildside." Vocally, Idol is still a potent entity, even as his baritone has been scuffed down into a hushed, tweedy croon. Yet he can still summon his defiant yawp, as on "Still Dancing," where he transfigures his classic song "Rebel Yell" into an anthem for punk survivors. With Dream into It, Idol underscores his legacy as one of the original pop-punk prophets, a kid with spiky, peroxide-blonde hair who saw the future of punk and lived to tell the tale. ~ Matt Collar

パンク・ポップのレジェンドが自身の経験や内省的なストーリーを綴り、パーソナルな内容を通じてみずからをポップ・パンクの先駆者に位置付けんとする9作目。トミー・イングリッシュをプロデュースに迎え、アヴリル・ラヴィーンをフィーチャーした"77"のほか、ジョーン・ジェットやキルズのアリソン・モシャートも駆けつけている。盟友スティーヴ・スティーヴンスももちろん参加。
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