Desire Avenue

Not exactly the best song she's ever written but Kate Bush is well on form vocally on this atmospheric end credit song from the 'Golden Compass' film

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=6-jOEb0rN3Q

Thanks for the link Rob, I wouldn't have known about it otherwise.

Ah her voice is absolutely gorgeous on this! It's like dark chocolate. Yum.

The song is lovely as end-credit-songs-for-Hollywood-movies go, nothing too surprising or dramatic but hey, it does the job. This is the first thing I've really liked from Kate for 18 years!

What a crappy song,Jesus.Gissajob
Also reminds me how much I disliked that book.Yeah,yeah,I know,everyone thinks it's great.I'm just totally allergic to dungeons and dragons and the rest of it.
Gosh,Kate Bush sounds grown up.

By Kate standards,'Lyra' was made very quickly.

From the beginning of writing the song to final soundtrack album mixing took just 10 days (approx 28th October - 6th November 2007).

I havn't read the book so hopefully I won't be too disadvantaged when I go to see the film in a couple of weeks time.

It's not bad, I like it better than anything on Aerial..

RobB wrote:By Kate standards,'Lyra' was made very quickly.

From the beginning of writing the song to final soundtrack album mixing took just 10 days (approx 28th October - 6th November 2007).

Yeah to be honest, it sounds like it - it's programme music, I can imagine Kate sitting watching the footage and writing the song more or less instantaneously. It's simple and obvious and exactly what was required, I'd imagine.

It feels very similar to some of the tracks on Aerial, but where I really, really disliked a lot of that album precisely for its lack of imaginative structures and arrangements, its grating obviousness, 'Lyra' sits a lot better with me because it's not supposed to be anything but a simple emotional accompaniment to a film. I think it works well in that context. Makes me wonder now if I'd have liked Aerial a whole lot more as a soundtrack album.

Judging by some of the comments on youtube, it's not going down too well with some fans? I was actually very surprised to see some negative comments. Usually with Kate it's a universal ZOMG GENIUS1!1!!

Think I'll wait for the closing credits to hear this one

Am I alone in absolutely loving the whole Aerial album? (ok apart from the bloody track where she shrieks washing machine as a chorus). It was a darn sight better than a certain other singer's album from the same year (back in the corner Ms Amos, yes face the wall, we don't want to look at you) ....

I especially really really love Pi

d.a.walker wrote:Think I'll wait for the closing credits to hear this one

Am I alone in absolutely loving the whole Aerial album? (ok apart from the bloody track where she shrieks washing machine as a chorus). It was a darn sight better than a certain other singer's album from the same year (back in the corner Ms Amos, yes face the wall, we don't want to look at you) ....

I especially really really love Pi

The washing machine song is the only one i really love!!

Mrs. Bartolozzi is a deceptive song, it seems a bit daft and a bit simple until you start thinking about why this woman is spending 'hours and hours' cleaning the house ... I hated it at first but grew to admire it a lot. I think it was quite a brave song to put on the album, because Kate surely knew it would earn the derision of many critics who'd only hear it as the work of a housefrau.

I grew to love 'A Coral Room' and 'Nocturn' - I ripped those two and Mrs. B on to a separate Kate mix cd. The rest of Aerial is dire IMHO, with a couple of tracks vying for the worst thing she's ever released ('Pi' and 'Joanni').

As disappointed as I was with The Beekeeper, I think it's a much, much better album than Aerial. TBK has grown and blossomed quite a bit for me in some sections, and of course the title track and 'Garlands' are simply exquisite, up there with Tori's best work.

I think what the two albums, looked at side by side, really illustrate for me is that both artists are capable of producing really great and really dud work in the same project. Which tends to be the case with very creative artists.

Hmm, not sure I agree with Mrs B, yes the lyrics and the concepts are certainly interesting but the song itself is, ironically, a chore. Maybe what I like from Kate is a little off kilter anyway, as I absolutely detest The Dreaming, which appears to be a major fan favourite, it's really not spoken to me in any way yet and if it's going to it's taking it's sweet time. I love Kate for The Sensual World, The Kick Inside, Hounds Of Love, Aerial. The Red Shoes I can take or leave (but I will take Moments Of Pleasure with me if you please!!!!! )

As for Tori, she needs to get her act together because she's becoming a parody of herself. I'm actually to the point where I avoid seeing her interviewed too. Her glory days are long gone at the moment, I still have not bought a proper copy of ADP, I am yet to justify good reason to. The Beekeeper I did briefly get into about 18 months ago, but upon listening to it a couple of weeks ago I found it rather erm, boring. But I have To Venus, Choirgirl, Pele, Pink, Scarlet and LE to adore plus all those gorgeous early B-sides which I so so miss from her output now.

My god Daniel, I think you're the first Kate fan I've come across who doesn't like The Dreaming! I still feel it's her finest hour, the work for which she really deserves the accolade 'genius'. Incredible to think she was only 22 when it was released. I guess overall my feeling about Kate as an artist is that she's one of those who flowered magnificently very early on in life, and basically faded by the time she was 30, when most artists are just hitting their stride.

As for ADP, I love quite a lot of it - a few tracks like Beauty of Speed, Dragon and Smokey Joe are up there in my all-time fave list - and the ADP tour has turned out to be a barnstoming success, with a lot of seasoned fans ranking it alongside Dew Drop Inn and Plugged. She's been pulling out all the stops on this one, with rarities galore (three nights ago in San Antonio she played the full Yes Anastasia for the first time ever ), solo and band debuts virtually every night .... she's been on top form since the tour hit the States, particularly. I still can't get over the Pip doll's psychotic performance of Me And A Gun with the band. It's been pretty amazing to behold, and the sustained media interest has been a surprise too. I think if anything Tori's stock has very much risen again with both fans and media through this album, which is exactly the opposite of what I thought would happen.

The Dreaming is my favourite Kate album, followed by The Ninth Wave and The Sensual World. The rest have some good songs but overall i'm not in LOVE with them like the other three.

As for Tori, I took out half of ADP's songs, rearranged it but i still don't bother to listen. The Beekeeper is now down to a 5 song EP.
Maybe it's the production that makes it suck to me, i like the original Sweet Dreams okay and then i listen to the Librarian version and i want to puke.