Reality Killed The Video Star
Robbie is back, and with an interesting record.
To really make this review worth reading, we will start by taking a look back at Robbie’s evolvement as an artist.I must do this to show that the new record is a strong record that is a unique blend of the styles present in all of his previous albums.
Robbie started out his career with Life Thru A Lens and I’ve Been Expecting You. Two records that completely embody the pop sound present at the of the end 90s.
Sing When You’re Winning marked the beginning of a musical era for Robbie where each album evoked a different pop sound - Mainly because Sing When You’re Winning was Robbie’s last album that was truly a body of late 90s and early 2000s pop tunes.
In fact the album that directly followed, Swing When You’re Winning, was an album of jazz standards influenced by the likes of Cole Porter and Frank Sinatra. And it was an incredibly strong record at that. However, the album sticks out and doesn’t really feel as much as a pop record as it does a concept record. That said, it is still Robbie’s fourth record and is to be counted as so.
Following that was Robbie’s first album that really felt like something brand new. Escapology is an incredibly darker rock-inspired album. An fantastic effort on Robbie’s behalf. As each of Robbie’s albums, it seemed to enter the music scene with a strong handful of singles and a record that left you craving more. Possibly my favorite Robbie album. One year later Escapology was followed by Robbie’s first live album, and a year after that his first greatest hits compilation was released.
A few years later we were given Intensive Care - A record that seemed slightly bizarre at first. The rockier sound was still present, but the album almost seemed oddly deep and metaphorical when compared to his first five records. The lyrical content was slightly more thought provoking and a bit more inspired. Although the album was not perceived to be as latch-on as his prior work, it still had a nice year’s run that produced four singles and a big tour before Robbie released his seventh studio record exactly one year later.
Rudebox was a good album, but very very very different from the more rock-inspired pop sound Robbie had fallen into with Escapology and Intesive Care. Rudebox was a full on electronic pop record with hints of Robbie’s own interpretation of rap music that was fully inspired by Robbie’s youth in the 80s and early career in the 90s. A good album with some fantastic songs, but quite a change from everything Rob had done in the past.
And now, 3 years after Rudebox, we are being given Robbie’s eighth work Reality Killed the Video Star.
Reality Killed the Video Star is artistically an epic record for Williams. It is an album that somehow embodies every single record Robbie has ever made. The lead single Bodies - an epic Trevor Horn produced track that sounds like what could have been a Rudebox track but is even better. It’s got the electronic synth-beat sound that completely created Rudebox, but somewhere in the middle of the song a fantastic lush string section comes in that speaks volumes of the Sing/Swing era, and on top of that a choir that breathes the sound of Escapology into the song. Incredible.
The album itself starts out with a track called Morning Sun that sounds like a track from Sing, but with a bit more guitar and a big epic finish that evokes thoughts of Revolution from Escapology. You Know Me, Won’t Do That, and Morning Sun (Reprise), are just a few more tracks that will have feeling like you’ve fallen into a blender of Sing & Escapology.
And even earlier Robbie sounds come back into the record with tracks like Blasphemy, Somewhere, Superblind, and Deceptacon.
Rudebox inspired sounds come back into the record with more electronic tracks like Last Days of Disco, Starstruck, and what may be the one of Robbie’s coolest tracks in his musical career Difficult For Weirdos : A complete disco sounding track with a lush string patch, a quirky bit of xylophone, and a completely fantastic chorus you will be humming for days on end.
And we can’t forget songs like Do You Mind (which may be our favorite track on the record), and Won’t Do That.
This album is a landmark for Robbie. It’s like watching Robbie looking back on his career and smiling at each and every moment and memory. It may sound cheesy, but it is ridiculously true. It’s like a memoir almost, in fact, this would be a perfect way for Robbie to end his musical career.
But we are just gonna hope that never happens.
A 9/10 for sure.
Galaxies is a sampler ep with 5 songs from White Trees/The Prophecy.
1. White Trees
2. Dissolve & Conquer
3. Jamie
4. Geometry
5. No You're Not
+iTunes digital booklet
White Trees is no longer available as a digital download. It will be re-released in March 2010 as The Prophecy.
I still have about 10 copies left of the second pressing. If you would you like one, you can purchase it at a live show. Live shows are set to begin again in November.
The Blue Science EP is available as a free digital download. However, it is not online at this time. Check back in the next week or two for a link to the free download.
1. Look, A Meteor! (Instrumental)
2. Blue Science (Early Demo)
I still have about 25 copies of Box of Rocks left for purchase.
This is my first demo album. It contains 12 piano/vocal demos of songs that were performed at the May 2008 Box of Rocks showcase.
1. Ink
2. Falling Down
3. Jump Ship!
4. These Bodies of Liquid
5. Seaweed
6. Pessimism & The Patriot
7. Outside the Lines
8. Seconds
9. Jamie
10. Seafoam
11. Supine
12. End of the Mantle
Each copy is $8 You can purchase a copy by clicking the button below to send Mie an email asking for a copy. Include your paypal info and a shipping address.
A digital release of this demo album is not available.
