album #69

hounds of love (kate bush)

I liked this, didn't love it. I liked The Kick Inside a little bit more, this album seemed a little too produced, too 80's (strange because, admittedly, I usually like stuff like that). Overall there's a tone of darkness and intensity to the record, broken occasionally with some sugary pop. The first half is a row of singles; the second half, a conceptual suite of varied, more experimental tracks.

"Running Up That Hill" is a song I hated as a kid, but I like it now, I like that dark, driven energy. "Hounds of Love" is cool too, I like the suspensful, dramatic tone. I like the upbeat pop energy of "The Big Sky" and particularly "The Morning Fog," a song which closes the darker, stranger second half of the album on a nice upbeat pop swing. "Mother Stands for Comfort" is slow without any drag at all; it's darkly catchy. "Jig of Life" grew on me, I particularly like the intensity of the second half. A pair of songs that I don't love, but I find them certainly interesting enough for relistening: the sweetly contemplative "And Dream of Sheep" and the low, nervy "Under Ice."

Altogether each song has its own interesting elements, its own value, and it's a cool, likable record. I don't know if it worked for me as a whole, though. Or at least, like I said, I liked but didn't love it. I really feel like there's a perfect Kate Bush album out there for me, but I'm still looking.