KATE BUSH

KATE BUSH
AERIAL (2005)
320 KBPS

There are few albums to which I would give a full 10/10. One of them would be the criminally underrated Spirit of Eden by Talk Talk. There are similarities with Aerial. Commercially successful artist gains total control over their work, taking as long as they need to with nary a thought for the record company's blessed "bottom line". The album is released, bearing no relation whatsoever to anything troubling the charts, to immense critical acclaim. The music thereon straggles the avantgarde and the pop worlds, and fails to find a mass audience.
Well, I can only hope I'm wrong about the last bit. This deserves massive sales, as the public recognise a truly great artist making music to move and inspire. Even the song to her son moved me deeply - let's face it, has any artist's paean to their child ever really achieved that? And let's ignore Lennon's Beautiful Boy - as mawkish as Macca could ever be. If she can carry off that self-indulgence, she can carry off anything.
And she does. Yes, she is totally hatstand, but who cares when the outcome is one of the greatest albums of the decade? We'll see whether it is that or not, but it certainly feels like it now.

CD 1

A Sea Of Honey
1. King Of The Mountain
2. Pi
3. Bertie
4. Mrs Bartolozzi
5. How To Be Invisible
6. Joanni
7. A Coral Room

CD 2

A Sky Of Honey
1. Prelude
2. Prologue
3. An Architect'S Dream
4. The Painter'S Link
5. Sunset
6. Aerial Tal
7. Somewhere In Between
8. Nocturn
9. Aerial