Prior to the release of Aerial, the last time Kate Bush released a record was in 1993 when Britopop was sweeping the nation and acts such as Ace of Base, Boyz II Men Meatloaf were dominating the airwaves. A twelve year hiatus in the music industry is virtually suicide for one’s career. However, Kate Bush is no ordinary artist; in fact she is one of the best musicians to have ever come out of the United Kingdom, a true legend and genius. At 40, sense and precedence decree that she should no longer be relevant; however nothing could be further from the truth.
Since she appeared on the music scene, thanks to Dave Gilmour, as a young teenager waving her arms and screeching her way through an Emily Bronte novel, she captivated the world with her unique approach to music. Simply because she has decided to shun the celebrity lifestyle that’s part and parcel of being a famous musician, people have referred to her as an eccentric recluse. In fact, for the past decade Bush has done nothing more eccentric than raise a son and be a housewife.
When Aerial was released in 2005 this did not have the air of someone who had not released anything for more than a decade, there was still a buzz and excitement about the release months before the scheduled release date and the hype was well worth it. Aerial is an album made in isolation from anything else out there. Kate is still relevant because she has never tried to be relevant. All her albums could be released in any decade and not sound out of place, she is simply incomparable to anyone else out there.
Aerial is a madly ambitious double album and comes in two parts; A Sea of Honey and A Sky of Honey. The sprawling, yet focused, first part deals with chores, children, Joan of Arc and the beauty of numbers to name just a few. The second part is a day in the life of light from dawn through afternoon and dusk to the monochrome glaze of moonlight. Musically she delves into folk, renaissance, classical, reggae, flamenco and pop.
The first part, A Sea of Honey, is a suite of personal reveries. The opener was first conceived by Bush fifteen years earlier and is a prime example of her timeless quality. ‘King of the Mountain’ is one of Kate’s best efforts to date. It is a contemplation of unbridled celebrity and isolation with references to, and an impersonation of, Elvis and Citizen Kane. Bush's synthesizer, sequencer, and voice weigh in ethereally from the margins before a full-on rock band playing edgy and funky reggae enters on the second verse. The next song is ‘π’ which is something only Kate Bush would do, in fact; she is the only artist to get away with this. She sings Pi to the 137th decimal place. It’s a truly mad but beautiful song demonstrating the beauty of numbers and the strange fascination people have of devoting their lives to finding out small piece of information to things that have no end. Next is ‘Bertie’ with its Harpsichord and strings, it would easily fit nicely into the Royal courts of Henry VIII as it does in the 21st century. Here, Bush serenades the love of her son. Viols are bowed and arcane strings are struck as Bush delivers yet another mind blowing song. ‘Mrs. Bartolozzi’ which is an ode to household chores and a beautiful piano ballad. Only Kate Bush could transform household chores into erotic wonder. Then there is ‘How To Be Invisible’ featuring a spell for a chorus, precisely what you would expect from this artist. It is a funked up piece of rock-pop and absolutely awesome! Next is ‘Joanni’, a hymn to Joan of Arc. An interesting choice to say the least but as with Kate Bush the song takes on epic proportions here. Finally there is ‘A Coral Room’ which is one of the most moving pieces Kate Bush has ever written. Although it is just piano and voice the classical overtones and changes in tempo accentuate this moving piece about the death of her mother.
The second CD is devoted to a concept piece and is nothing short of stunning. She uses metaphors of the turning of the day and the flight of birds; she orchestrates a meditation on the cycles of life. ‘Prelude’ is a short atmospheric piece with sounds of birds singing and her son. This leads beautifully into ‘Prologue’ where the piano enters along with chanted viol accompanied by Bush crooning to romantic love, the joy of marriage and nature over some asserting drums. ‘An Architects Dream’ see’s Bush meet a street painter, it seems ordinary but the loops, fretless bass and drifiting keyboards give this relaxed piece an amazing feel. ‘The Painter’s Link’ is amazing for its inclusion of Rolf Harris alone! However, it is ‘Sunset’ where things really take off. The song combines a languid, jazzy arrangement with stunningly vivid imagery. The flamenco interlude is genius and dynamic. A short duet with birds follows with ‘Ariel Tal’ before we are treated to something equally as enthralling with ‘Somewhere in Between’ which is perfect in every way. Kate Bush also dabbles with drum and bass also on this number. It is Kate Bush at her very best. Bush starts to bring things to a close with ‘Nocturne’ where the rhythms assert themselves over electric guitars and layers of keyboards. Finally we end with ‘Aerial’ which see’s Bush dabble with dance music as she celebrates the coming of dawn. She sounds almost deranged shouting out the lines to the beats but it’s a stunning end as Kate’s voice slowly fade and becomes one with the birds.
This album is a clear example of perfection from one of the greatest artists of all time. Kate is by no means the most prolific artist around. However, if they are this good I am willing to wait another decade for the next, although I hope it’s not that long a wait! Here at number one, my album of the decade is Kate Bush: ‘Aerial’
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