hugh cornwell moments of madness

howdy pop pickers

well, an album release i almost kind of forgot about. no variation on day of release for the title, look you see, for this one turned up quite a bit after i had ordered it. oh, yeah, on the off chance that you missed the clue in the title, what i speak of here is the album Moments Of Madness that i think (sure i read this somewhere) is the 10th album from Hugh Cornwell as a solo concern. 

yes, indeed, that Hugh Cornwell out of The Stranglers. however, i suspect (or think) that his solo career has been on the go for quite nearly twice as long as he was in that legendary (brilliant) band. well, or and, why not. that is one hell of a band to have ended up being eternally associated with. 

in truth it took me somewhat by surprise to learn that he (Hugh) had now equalled the number of solo studio albums as he had done with The Stranglers. this would be down to a candid lack of interest on my behalf, really. going back (rather than forward) and the final album off of the original, or classic, line up of the band, 10, was so underwhelming (it was awful) i sort of took as a given than both parties were well advised to use the parting of the ways as a means to call it a day entire. 

quite wrong, was i, in this regard. i had no expectation or sense that i would ever be purchasing new music from either sides of the split, but here we are. last year saw the present variation of The Stranglers release a quite good album, and now Hugh has done the same. so yes, then, there is the review for anyone in a hurry but for some reason still reading, this is very much a decent album. 

confession time, mind. no, i probably (as in certainly) wouldn't have bought this record if not for the promise, back in April (of this year, but still), of a signed print of Hugh coming with it. applicable to the first one hundred (100) orders, it was, so order i did. this i thought would make a lovely surprise gift for a dear friend, and it certainly has done precisely that. i assumed no harm could come from listening to the album anyway, and indeed this is the case. actually, possibly regret only ever buying the one solo record from him in the past now, if only in a slight way. 

as to what makes this album good, well, a lot of it would be what made a lot of at least nine albums off of The Stranglers good - the lyrics, man. Hugh Cornwell is a formidably talented chap, with a remarkable turn of phrase. it is, in whatever sense is appropriate, reassuring to hear that same familiar voice coming up with wonderfully inventive, sharp songs to sing. 

this is consistent pretty much across the whole album, or if you like record. which is obviously a rather good thing indeed. except, well. not sure how to word this one, for i am (obviously) no Hugh. all of it feels good, but never really "wow, great" if that makes sense. there's not really any one particular standout, great, all the eggs are in this basket song. he has not come up with a "back in the spotlight" tune here, but i am not certain he would be. like, or unlike, Spinal Tap, i dare say he is comfortable with an audience in which his appeal has become more selective. 

one minor sense i got, and again i am not going to word this properly, is that a lot of songs are borne of Hugh considering a subject he might (and often does) be able to do a decent song of. rather than, say, a burning issue which compelled him to create art. a bit of a vice versa to what one would have expected of him when he was in a certain band, shall we say. 

examples of this are possibly (probably) the opening track, Coming Out Of The Wilderness, which is the contractually obliged for artists inevitable lockdown/plague song, and Too Much Trash, the subject of which i think you can determine (there's too much rubbish). by no means are they bad or weak songs, not at all. it's more that they have a sense of "this is the kind of thing i think i should write a song about" rather than "i want to express my feelings in song". subtle and academic difference, perhaps. 

favourite track for me, from this, is likely When I Was A Young Man. perhaps this appeals because he laments how sh!t it must be to be young in the present world, for none of it seems as vibrant or exciting as it was. probably, likely is vibrant and exciting, but not in a way that looks immediately obvious. this, yes, i am quite aware, resonates because i am simply getting old. closing track Heartbreak At Seven is another good one. were it so that i had to point out the least interesting song, well, i would suggest that one tune, Beware Of The Doll, might have made it on to the final album just to ensure it has a decent, album length running time. 

up to now i've played the album five or six (maybe seven) times, and have enjoyed it being on. but it is not growing on me, as such. very few albums this century, if we are honest, carry a sense of being on any permanent playlist. still, worth a spin. 

rather unlikely that any further "new" records will get bought or played this year. so far as i am aware there's no "new" ones coming out which appeal, but a few re-releases. and re-re-releases. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!