Monday 26 August 2013

The Ninth Wave (Kate Bush, 1985)

I don't think Kate Bush could be tagged as a prog artist, nor as part of any other novement. She's a world apart, a unique mix of feelings and skills. That said, this beautiful suite taken from the album "Hounds of Love" (1985) is probably her proggest release ever. Seven movements, deep folk roots, clever orchestral arrangements, spooky moods, electronic touches, the story about a drowning person, everything here suggests a personal research both in sounds and lyrics.

This is the Aivazovsky's masterpiece titled "The Ninth Wave",
painted in 1850, that inspired Kate Bush.

As usual, the excellent melodies are perfectly in tune with the concept and a wide range of special effects and samples add a theatrical touch to the track. Kate takes care of everything, each detail is meant to add something relevant to the big picture. The listener goes through irish jigs, gloomy choirs, bright tunes and electro-pop beats in a surprising and coloured soul journey, inspired by Ivan Aivazovsky's painting and transfigured by Kate Bush's wild sensitiveness. Such an experience is certainly worth some 25 minutes of your life.

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