John Cale- Extra Playful
Legendary singer, songwriter and producer John Cale is looking to have fun with latest release 'Extra Playful'. Freshly signed up to Domino imprint, Double Six, The Velvet Underground's co-founder is taking experimental rock in a different direction which will breathe life into his extensive discography.
Cale takes assertive rock n' roll out on a blind date with electronic pop and they get on like a house on fire. The tone blends dark with light but is never allowed to get too heavy- dark chocolate soufflè. It's a quiet invitation to get lost in some classically edgy rhythms, driven by 80s style rumbling bass lines and blues soaked guitar. Vocally, the likeness to Interpol's style is really rather striking, the drama of Paul Banks' brooding resonating in tracks like 'Catastrofuk' Obviously given Cale's precedence you could argue that he was in there with that style first... but has the direction of this EP meant that it's taken it more towards Banks' territory? Let's not get bogged down in this chicken and egg scenario- just believe that it sounds marvellous.
In true rock n' roll fashion, each track is quite lengthy- but the quality of the instrumentals makes it completely worth it. No guitar solo or creative jam is unnecessary. It's lyrically engaging, with 'Hey Ray' having a hypnotic nursery rhyme effect, while 'Perfection' almost becomes quite Bowie-esque with it's touches of vocal distortion and the creation of billowing soundscapes.
History already told us that John Cale was always going to put out a decent EP here, but this charming offering full of creative poetical whimsy is even better than you may have bargained for.