Allbarone

Since the 2000s, Baxter Dury has carved out a singular place in the pop firmament, mixing woozy debauchery with laser-pointed precise lyrics and happily lo-fi musical backing that suits his laconic spoken vocals perfectly. While each of his albums have been slight variations on this basic template, 2025s Allbarone is a full-fledged leap. After meeting producer Paul Epworth -- known for his work with big-name indie artists like Bloc Party and superstars like Coldplay, Adele, and U2 -- at Glastonbury and finding out he was a fan, Dury decided to take him up on his offer of working together. After smoothing out some kinks, they split the duties in half with Epworth providing the music and Dury working out the melodies and lyrics. The result is something way bigger, much shinier, and far more mainstream than anything Dury had done yet. Its almost so slick and sleek on first listen it seems like too much. On second listen, it makes total sense. The smooth textures, state of the art synths, and shimmering atmosphere Epworth creates is the perfect setting for Durys stories of decadence, regret, and rage. The combination of tightly coiled vitriol and expansive (and expensive) sophistication makes for a perfect juxtaposition and its amazing that it took this long for Dury to make the leap into this rarefied air. Epworth deserves tons of credit both for singling Dury out for collaboration and for setting him up to succeed no matter what style or sound he chose. Whether its gleaming hip-hop ("Kubla Khan"), bumping disco ("Alpha Dog"), icy new wave ("Schadenfreude"), bass-heavy indie rock ("The Other Me"), or something quite indescribable (the poppy ballad "Mr. W4," which features swooping swarms of synth and some disturbingly altered vocals), Dury is in his element. Due to the interlocking brilliance of Durys best efforts, Epworth’s stunning production, and the contributions of the albums co-vocalists like JGrrey, Allbarone comes across as a swirling cocktail thats composed of top-shelf brands but kicks like a high-caliber rifle shot. Dury has always been good at coming up with albums that are highly listenable but seemingly made for a small cult of fans and devotees. This record plays like his shot for glory, and with tracks as hooky and well-constructed as "Mockingjay" or the title track, theres no reason he shouldnt hit the big time. ~ Tim Sendra

異能の人バクスターが、スーパー・プロデューサーのポール・エプワースと組んだ8作目をリリース。煌びやかなシンセが舞う表題曲からすでにこのタッグの勝利は歴然で、ニューウェイヴィーなダンス・チューンやら不気味なポップ・バラードなどいずれの場面でも痛快なまでのハマり具合を見せる。"The Other Me"での父親譲りのぼやき歌唱には思わずドキッとした。
bounce (C)桑原シロー