Search - Gary Numan :: Strange Charm

I don't understand all the rampage against this album

Said Head | MN, USA | 10/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I feel this album to be one of Numan's best; sure, it's not Replicas or Pleasure Principle, but fans of an ever-evolving artist have to keep up with him in taste and style, which this album clearly has great value in. 1983's Warriors was a mislead and equally misleading album that paired Numan's signature style with dancier beats and instrumentation; for me, it misses the mark. Berserker was a great album, though found Numan in the same strange place that Warriors was trying to get out of. The Fury is Numan's perfecting the fusion of dancey pop and new wave, taking his style into a more industrial, slightly funky direction; the only problem with that album is the lack of originality between the tracks.



This album shows Numan taking that perfected new sound he'd been working on for years and indulges in musical ideas. Using his new found admiration for female backing vocals and saxophone he managed to create an eclectic and very well-written album.



As another reviewer stated, 'My Breathing' is an extremely powerful track, using decidedly non-Numan instrumentation: orchestral strings. It's catchy and serious altogether, and a great impression on the album's overall effect.



'Unknown & Hostile' is a very funky dance track that I'm sure most 'die-hard' Numan fans probably ignore whole-heartedly. But really the combination of sax, keyboards, and sparse guitar give this an outlandish feel that I think he had attempted to create on Warriors; well, if that really is the case, here we finally get to hear that vision!



'Sleeproom', while not a ballad, is a down-tempo stroke of isolation; the vocals are powerful, and Numan speaks very vividly of his career, say 'I don't sound like I should; I don't even belong to fashion' shows that he is aware of people's dislike of his new style, but that this is what he is. It's really more of a rather polite 'f*** off' to anybody who wants more Tubeway Army.



'New Thing From London Town', the album version, is an incredible industrial tune with some of the most forward-looking synths I've ever heard. While the music isn't exactly product of Numan's, the new vocals are a bit better over the original single's I think.



'I can't Stop' really stands away from the rest of the album; it has somewhat of an arena rock feel with the guitars, but most aspects of the song are signature late 80's Numan sound. I think Numan may have been trying a little too hard with this song, but it's still a great listen, and the extra version of the track available on most remastered CD's of the album is not to be missed.



The title track is an awesome piece on its own, as well as tying in the rest of the song. All the different ideas and styles that make this album so unique can be found in this track.



'The Need', perhaps the strangest song on SC, is the longest track, and very repetitive. I personally really like this track for its straight-forward beat and sparse instrumentation that gets thrown in the mix here and there which in some moments is in a way hypnotic and dancey in different moments.



As the only true ballad on the album, 'This is Love' takes the energy of the last few tracks and brings them back to a very isolated cache of emotions. I personally think ballads are cliche, but this one, with the other two slower, more serious songs, really shows what the purpose of the ballad is all about. This song is spacey, surreal, but uses piano chords, sax, and female vocals, among other things, to keep it human enough.



The b-side 'Time To Die', I never cared much for, mainly because Numan didn't even write it, but it definitely sounds as if it had been, since it uses references from 'Blade Runner' (a film that Numan had taken inspiration and used samples from until the early 90's).



The two instrumentals, 'Faces' and 'Survival' are fascinating industrial pieces, a style that he doesn't get back into until 'Outland' and 'Machine & Soul'. They both use heavy percussion and deep synths mainly, while retaining their own strengths. They're honestly brilliant, and I think, providing that these had been included in the album, that it would have made a bigger impact, but at least now we get to hear them on CD.



Overall, this album is extremely under-rated; it may be a little much for casual/beginner fans of Numan, and it would definitely be a good call to get his earlier mid 80's material like Berserker and The Fury first, to prepare yourself for the feel of this one. Absolutely one of my top favorite albums by Numan."

Atmospheric

Alf Kremer | Denver CO | 07/03/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This isn't my least favorite Gary Numan album (that's MACHINE & SOUL) but I never found this one too compelling. My problems with this album were thrown into focus when I read that Gary Numan more or less had ideas for the album, but never really brought them into sharp focus. That explained a lot - the album has a tense, forboding atmosphere, but nothing really to hang the atmosphere on. Sort of a Gary Numan environmental album. There are several highlights - "My Breathing" was deservedly singled out for praise (the hook'll stay with you for days), and "I Can't Stop" plays with rhythm and lyrics in interesting ways. The bonus track "Time to Die" is a rare ballad that comes together quite nicely. Except for the "longer-versions-of-what-you've-already-heard", the bonus tracks are actually a very welcome addition, with some instrumental work that actually enhances the feeling of the album. Maybe not an essential Gary Numan purchase, but certainly no embarassment."