Robyn Hitchcock 'Spooked' album

For decades, Robyn Hitchcock has led the way in soulful, bizarre music with an original and intelligent pop sensibility. From the days of The Soft Boys to his long solo career, Robyn Hitchcock mixed his odd lyricism with emotional singing and guitar-driven music. Classic Hitchcock songs like â??Balloon Manâ?, â??Beautiful Girlâ?, â??Wax Dollâ?, and â??One Long Pair Of Eyesâ? have become timeless. For years, Hitchcock has stayed relatively low-key without the Egyptians. In 2005, he returned with his new solo album, â??Spookedâ? on Yep Rock Records. Produced by David Rawlings and recorded in Nashville, â??Spookedâ? is an extremely mellow and soft LP, which displays the maturity of this pioneer in alternative music.

The elegant beauty of Hitchcockâ??s music is deepened by the obscure imagery and slightly bizarre references. â??Full Moon In My Soulâ? is a magnificent song with a timeless quality. The mid-tempo rhythm chugs along with light guitar melodies. Hitchcock sings, â??â?¦I love you â?? madly / The past is over / And the present will be sadly / Iâ??ve got that full moon in my soulâ?¦â? Once again, Robyn Hitchcock has made a song that is not only instantly gratifying the first time, but also gets better with age. No stranger to humor, Hitchcock also adds some bizarre lines. Hitchcock sings, â??â?¦You can have my cigarettes / And mister, you can have my coughâ?¦â? The weird line does not debase the song in any way. For the chorus, Hitchcock enlightens and uplifts the listener with some wonderful sentiments: â??From the darkness inside you â?? comes the light that will guide you.â? Probably the best track on the album, â??Full Moon In My Soulâ? is simply perfect. The opening track â??Televisionâ? is another mellow treat where Hitchcock sings, â??Bing a bong a bing â?? bong â?? bing â?? bong.â? While most people are slaves to television, Hitchcock treats his relationship with TV as a romance. In the opening verse, Hitchcock sings, â??â?¦Television â?? say you love me / Television â?? say you care / Loneliness is my profession / Show me things that arenâ??t thereâ?¦â? As satirical portrait of modern society, â??Televisionâ? is actually surprisingly poignant and lovely instead of humorous. The ending crescendo is especially moving as he repeats, â??See through me.â? As a song, â??Televisionâ? is clever, bizarre, satirical, sad, and romantic. â??Everybody Needs Loveâ? is a more upbeat pop song which lists the differences of various types of people and links them all together with their need for love. The fast strumming of the acoustic guitar is balanced with a catchy hook. The odd humor is mixed in perfectly with the touching sentiments. In the last verse, Robyn sings, â??â?¦Some people are straight / Donâ??t lean too hard on them / Or think theyâ??re a gateâ?¦ but every â?? body needs loveâ?¦â? Reminiscent of earlier work with The Egyptians, â??Everybody Needs Loveâ? is a perfect example of a Hitchcock pop song. â??Weâ??re Gonna Live In The Treesâ? stands out from the other songs because of the upbeat country tempo and the very weird theme of leaving modern society and starting a new one in the tree tops high above. While the song is fun and filled with references to millipedes and bugs, the universal and philosophical lyrics make this a wonderful track. â??You either take off or you donâ??t / You canâ??t fly by degreesâ?, Hitchcock sings over a solid, bluesy guitar riff. Another blues-influenced song is â??Creeped Outâ?, where Robyn Hitchcock is romantic, psychedelic, and spooky at the same time. â??Everything is happening behind your eyesâ?, Hitchcock sings with Beatles-influenced psychedelic style. â??If You Know Timeâ? is a philosophically intense song with wonderful insights into the human mind. The final track â??Flanaganâ??s Songâ? is a perfect ending for this moody LP. Hitchcock sings, â??The partyâ??s overâ? over atmospheric guitar work.

â??Spookedâ? does have a small number of filler tracks but they do not disrupt the albumâ??s flow or degrade the LPâ??s quality. â??English Girlâ? is a romantic song about falling in love with an English woman. Hitchcock rhymes the word â??girlâ? with â??Ronald Searleâ?, the cartoonist-creator of St Trinian's School for Young Minxes). While â??English Girlâ? is a solid song, it does not have the same strength as the other shining moments. â??Demons & Fiendsâ? is another eerie atmospheric track with references of hobgoblins and ghouls. The vocal arrangement and melody is interesting but does not make the song as strong as the others. Hitchcock does a moody cover version of Bob Dylanâ??s â??Tryin' to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Doorâ? which is executed well but feels a little too long. â??Sometimes A Blondeâ? has some excellent guitar work and creates an emotional atmosphere but the lyrics â??Iâ??m a blonde sometimesâ? just sound a little too silly to maintain the poignancy of the moment created. There is a little spoken-word skit called â??Welcome To Earthâ? where Hitchcock plays a tour guide for creatures or entities that wish to visit our lovely and forsaken planet. â??Welcome To Earthâ? is astute and satirical but feels out of place.

â??Spookedâ? by Robyn Hitchcock is a satisfying and brilliant achievement that is both romantically mature and delightfully bizarre. With a stripped down sound, Hitchcock truly shines for a majority of the album. After years of rest, Hitchcockâ??s return is not only refreshing, but also surreal and tender. While every Hitchcock album has at least one classic song that never loses strength, â??Spookedâ? has several. â??Full Moon In My Soulâ? is a timeless and romantic track that will stand the test of time. â??Televisionâ? and â??Weâ??re Gonna Live In The Treesâ? also share this power. â??Spookedâ? is an album that lives up to the title since it includes odd and eerie songs like â??Demons & Fiendsâ? and â??Creeped Outâ?. The â??Spookedâ? title also can be described about the mysterious spell of love and the mysteries surrounding love. The pop sensibility remains on â??Everybody Needs Loveâ? and â??If You Know Timeâ?. This delicate balance is something not every musician can do on a full length LP. Through the years, Hitchcock has matured and his stripped down, mellow sound makes this LP solid from start to finish. The music of Robyn Hitchcock is eccentric enough to be considered unique or alternative but also very accessible since it explores universal themes. Robyn Hitchcockâ??s â??Spookedâ? is like a breath of fresh air in a world of dull, pre-packaged pop. Enter the magical world of Robyn Hitchcock and fall under the spell of his music.

8.5 out of 10
Review by Todd E. Jones
toddejones@yahoo.com

Mp3
â??Televisionâ?
http://www.yeproc.com/download.php?file=11484003761.mp3

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Robyn Hitchcock - Spooked