GARY NUMAN has a new album coming called "Jagged"

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It even has a 'microsite'

www.jagged-album.com

hasn't leaked yet to my knowledge.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Saturday, 4 March 2006 18:08 (nineteen years ago)

It's been something like seven years! I remember he issued some kinda apology for taking so long.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 4 March 2006 18:10 (nineteen years ago)

it's pretty poor, on the whole. each song would, on its own, be reasonable if you listened to it in isolation. but over the course of an album it's totally one-dimensional and alienating; airless and a bit, well, sad. you're 47, for fuck's sake, gary. people do, believe it or not, quite like you. come out of your bedroom, have a cup of tea and maybe go down the pub or something.

it's co-produced with ade fenton and sounds pretty much exactly as you'd expect: thud thump splash SYYYYYYNTH doom doom grind (but not too hard) thump SYYYYYYNTH whine etc. like i said in my review: you don't expect him to start wearing a cardigan and playing acoustic guitar, but some kind of change of mood would be nice. even for one song.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Saturday, 4 March 2006 23:06 (nineteen years ago)

Hmm, pity. Sounds like it's replicating the mistakes of Pure, which was similarly monolithic to a fault.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 4 March 2006 23:22 (nineteen years ago)

You don't know he's not wearing a cardigan. You can wear a cardigan AND use yer old synths. It's quite possible.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!! (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 4 March 2006 23:26 (nineteen years ago)

I have to say Ade Fenton might want to reconsider his look:

http://www.numan.net/clouds/newspics/ade1.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 4 March 2006 23:27 (nineteen years ago)

Actually Ned, my girlfriend has insisted Pure is better than I,Assassin, which she says is 'a little too boppy'; and weirdly, after she said it, I suddenly agreed. I have a weak mind that way.

Ade looks like a cross between Prince and Dave Navarro doesn't he?

― ratty, Saturday, 4 March 2006 23:33 (nineteen years ago)

There is no way Pure is better than I, Assassin. That latter actually had, you know, a unique sound (even though he was trying to sound like Japan) and memorable songs.

I don't think Numan will be changing his sound anytime soon, unfortunately. I mean he's been stuck on the same thing for 10 years.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Monday, 6 March 2006 17:17 (nineteen years ago)

leakage.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Saturday, 11 March 2006 15:50 (nineteen years ago)

It's really bad. Somehow more boring and pointless than Pure.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Saturday, 11 March 2006 20:53 (nineteen years ago)

This is how bad a Peter Gabriel album would be if Peter Gabriel were actually as bad as everybody says he is.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Saturday, 11 March 2006 23:04 (nineteen years ago)

Oh COME on people. You're hurting me in my hart.

― ratty, Saturday, 11 March 2006 23:40 (nineteen years ago)

I liked the first song alright. It's almost like The Muse! If you think of it as that song with like nine remixes of it following I guess it's not that bad. OK, it's still pretty bad though.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Saturday, 11 March 2006 23:54 (nineteen years ago)

I have a friend who is trying to make me go and see Gary Numan on his tour this year. Convince me that this is a bad idea (or not, I dunno, it seems like it would be a bad idea these days)

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 12 March 2006 00:17 (nineteen years ago)

I'm a Numan freak and will find an excuse to love almost anything he releases but.. from early listens.. this 6 year in the making disc is not doing it for me AT ALL.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Sunday, 12 March 2006 01:21 (nineteen years ago)

Where did Numan lose the knack of making songs on an album sound different from one another?? i mean jeez!!

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Sunday, 12 March 2006 04:00 (nineteen years ago)

Pure demonstrated that all too damn well.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 12 March 2006 06:21 (nineteen years ago)

Every song under 100bpm and straining to be epic - def. going to the gig avec bleedin mascara to wave my PCB

― geordie racer (geordie racer), Sunday, 12 March 2006 16:17 (nineteen years ago)

If anything I DO give Numan credit for is most artists at this stage in their career do a "back to basics" album and he is at least trying to be progressive and further morphing the Numan brand into something new and exciting.. jury is still out on whether this is working.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Sunday, 12 March 2006 19:42 (nineteen years ago)

a good friend and fellow numanoid is leaning pretty heavy on me to pre-order this thing. seeing as i'm not so fond of his "industrial"/darkwave stuff, i don't have high hopes for this one.

but at least he isn't trying to remake "the pleasure principle" -- or, worse yet, the 80s numa dreck.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 12 March 2006 20:08 (nineteen years ago)

GIVE ME MACHINE AND SOUL OVER THIS ANY DAY

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Sunday, 12 March 2006 22:04 (nineteen years ago)

C'mon, Patrick, the "Janet Jackson Phase"???!!!

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Sunday, 12 March 2006 23:43 (nineteen years ago)

This is tragic! But I must somehow find a copy and decide for myself.

― ratty, Tuesday, 14 March 2006 14:06 (nineteen years ago)

"Melt" is one of the more unique tracks that sounds more like Numan than Ade Fenton- the hook reminds me of "Fury" era.

― ZionTrain (ZionTrain), Thursday, 16 March 2006 15:42 (nineteen years ago)

I like this album. It's much better than I expected. It's only too samey if you thought 'loveless' or 'nowhere' needed a hip-hop choon and a harpsikord breakdown. Numan finds an epic sound and mines the seam effectively. Next week Depeche Mode at Wembley, then GN playing the Toon a couple of weeks later - so excited.

― geordie racer (geordie racer), Friday, 24 March 2006 21:31 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Numan played Newcastle last night and the new songs worked better than those off the last two albums. the new-new versions of 'dOWN IN THE pARK' and 'me, i disconnect from you' were intense. he looked like he was enjoying himself. jagged songs were huge, balancing energy and atmosphere.

― geordie racer (s.r.w.), Monday, 24 April 2006 06:29 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Tom Warrior of Celtic Frost likes it - this from his blog:

Gary Numan's new album, "Jagged", has become my continuous soundtrack. Its darkness is intoxicating.

I still haven't heard it, for some reason.

― registered ratty (registered ratty), Wednesday, 24 May 2006 07:21 (nineteen years ago)

I finally have it. He and Ade F have really nailed that stately sandstorm death ballad cruise ship production sound have they not? Every so often the sandstorm coalesces into a face, and that's Gary's voice! And lo, he is using The Ugly Voice, ie, the oily sick alien awakened from its mucousy chrysalis, which surfaced around 'Dance', was at its most extreme on 'We Take Mystery to Bed' and disappeared when he became The Man From Monte Carlo Who Lost It All. Back to back with Bohren und der Club of Gore it makes for a bleakly satisfying listen. Once in a while he departs from his copyrighted semi-Indian Numan scale with a little blues lick, very fuckin nice mister N, this koala muncher is well impressed.

― registered ratty (registered ratty), Saturday, 27 May 2006 21:36 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

I am hoping my industrial-fan roommate and I will be able to find common ground on this album, just as we have on "Christian Says"

― Curt1s Stephens, Tuesday, 19 June 2007 23:27 (eighteen years ago)

(and Madonna)

― Curt1s Stephens, Tuesday, 19 June 2007 23:32 (eighteen years ago)

Wouldn't he like "Hybrid" in that case? Its pretty NINish.

― Trayce, Tuesday, 19 June 2007 23:54 (eighteen years ago)

(and also awesome)

― Trayce, Tuesday, 19 June 2007 23:54 (eighteen years ago)

Just listened to Jagged again. It's still brilliant. You people are all insane! How good does a record have to be?

― moley, Thursday, 21 June 2007 10:53 (seventeen years ago)

I am waiting for this to go onto emusic (they love Numan, all his other stuffs on there) so I can have a listen!

― Trayce, Thursday, 21 June 2007 11:31 (seventeen years ago)

the quiet parts of this record are the best

― Curt1s Stephens, Thursday, 21 June 2007 14:01 (seventeen years ago)

I'm not too keen on big industrial chugga guitars, but I can forgive them here, because Numan is the man.

― Curt1s Stephens, Thursday, 21 June 2007 14:01 (seventeen years ago)

I still haven't heard this!

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 21 June 2007 14:07 (seventeen years ago)

Curt1s didn't I send you some bits of Hybrid? Ah anyway.

― Trayce, Thursday, 21 June 2007 14:09 (seventeen years ago)

I really must d/l "Dance" speaking of: its meant to be a really slinky Japanesque thing.

― Trayce, Thursday, 21 June 2007 14:16 (seventeen years ago)

yeah you did

― Curt1s Stephens, Thursday, 21 June 2007 14:40 (seventeen years ago)

OK good I am not going senile (yet)!

― Trayce, Thursday, 21 June 2007 22:42 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.klangundkleid.ch/img/plakate/musik/181250_KeithRichards-WhoTheFuckIsMickJagger.jpg

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Thursday, 21 June 2007 23:07 (seventeen years ago)

I really want to hear this. AMG review really trashes it, tho'.

― Bimble, Monday, 25 June 2007 06:53 (seventeen years ago)

See, the way I see it, Bimble, is this way: when have reviewers (except for Ned) not trashed his best work? Everything's been trashed, but especially his best albums. I remember one reviewer of 'I Assassin' saying he was 'three parts dead and proud of it' - and that was meant to be an insult! It sounded like praise to me!

I remember my English teacher at school, also a Numan fan, saying to me of the reviewers, 'Huh, they're all Bob Dylan fans, what would they know?'.

Here's moley's guide to picking the very best Gary Numan albums:

(i) every song sounds the same
(ii) it's depressing
(iii) You don't like it much at first, but for some reason you come back to it over and over until one day - bag! - you're a numanoid!

― moley, Monday, 25 June 2007 09:10 (seventeen years ago)

*bang!, not bag.

― moley, Monday, 25 June 2007 09:11 (seventeen years ago)

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