Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS & RELATED ARTICLES

Now OCTOBER 28, 2010 - by Kevin Ritchie

BRYAN FERRY: OLYMPIA

The Manet-inspired photo of an iced-out Kate Moss on the cover of Bryan Ferry's first solo album in eight years doesn't lie. The image throws back to the impossibly glamorous artwork that graced many a Roxy Music record sleeve, and the album's ten tracks evoke a similar nostalgia for the cult '70s act's panoramic art-pop machismo, with an emphasis on "pop".

Much of Olympia sounds straight out of Avalon-era Roxy, despite an array of all-star collaborators: David Gilmour, Jonny Greenwood, Scissor Sisters, Nile Rodgers and ex-Roxys Brian Eno, Andrew Mackay and Phil Manzanera. Somewhat surprisingly, they blend right in with Ferry's trembling timbre and sensual, textured atmospherics. Despite a few tripped-out pop gems, the album is largely what you'd expect to hear after gazing into Moss's glassy eyes: a classic sound but not a classic record.

TOP TRACK: Song To The Siren