Great Scott! What is this before us from erstwhile troubadour and folk whistler of that 80’s classic ‘Whole Of The Moon’? It seems the mercurial Mike Scott has only gone and made a concept album about Hollywood counterculture icon and all round crazy man Dennis Hopper. I mean, I’m sure there a link there somewhere but even so, who would have had this down as one the singular greatest listening experiences of your life.
Cast aside notions of what you think The Waterboys sound like. They never did anyway, and have always enjoyed pushing a boundary or two. Musical treasures, undoubtedly, but musical seekers even more so. The perfect match then, for an artist who tore up the script. Easy Riders all, and I dare say a hint of Frank within some of Scott’s more anguished moments. A highlight here, although not one for precious ears.
Stars aplenty join this cavalcade of post-theatrical conceptual craziness, with more than enough widescreen Springsteen anthems. He turns up too, and by then nothing surprises. Post-theatrical? Post-modern? It’s simply post this in your fucking ears over and over. Hopper would be proud of the sheer audacity of it all.
But what if the actual songs, I hear you cry! Let’s keep that between me, you, and your very first listen as you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Thrill though, to sound clips of Hopper and his old movies. An artist who broke boundaries, and probably broke himself along the way only to emerge unscathed, idolised, and still not giving an ounce of fuck. It almost reads like the career trajectory of Mike Scott. It must be in an artist’s nature.
So go ahead and treat yourself to what is one of the great albums of our time. Don’t go in expecting wholes of those moons, but do expect an artist and his band continuing to push his own boundaries and his fans expectations. Sound similar to another artist? You know it’s true.
