I have been an avid follower of Tim’s right from his first solo release, and it is great to see his slowly changing and evolving musical stylings over his seven previous albums, a truly progressive journey for him, one might say. I reviewed his last two releases Late Night Laments (2020) and Butterfly Mind (2022) for TPA, so it felt right for me to offer my thoughts on this latest one. It is also notable that this is his first release on his newly signed label Kscope.
Powder Dry is a first for Tim, in that he has produced, written and performed all these songs on his own, making it a truly solo enterprise. The album consists of sixteen songs in just over a forty minute running time, and mixing in stereo and surround was done by Steve Wilson. The shift to shorter length songs is noticeable, as are the musical stylings, which he mixes up to great effect throughout the album, and an 80’s synth vibe, late 70’s Bowie, post punk and even industrial touches at times are the references that can be heard here. That said these songs are not just copies of sounds that have gone before, as Tim stamps his musical uniqueness firmly onto these influences to create something different from what he has done before.
It appears that striding out on his own has paid dividends, with a selection of soundscapes and pop songs that blend together well. Indeed, Tim has said that “the songs resulted from an attempt to capture a fleeting feeling as accurately as I could”, and this I believe he has achieved. The album’s ideas and aims are well described on Tim’s website:
“Chronicling descents into ideological extremism, eco-apocalypse, and the all-too human quest for love in a time of crisis, the album is a constantly shifting kaleidoscope of sound; chasing feelings, searching for meanings and trying to capture the ever-elusive nowness of now.”
I mean what else could I possibly say further to describe these songs, nothing I don’t think, as this sums it up perfectly in my opinion, and on listening to the album I believe listeners will come to agree with that statement. The album opens with the track Rock Hudson, a clear statement of intent that this is different from the albums that have gone before, a bright upfront and pacey track which leads to Lost/Not Lost. Here we have a more electronic (maybe even Krautrock style) beat which Tim’s voice excels over the top, right from the opening line “Go deep, go deeper”. It becomes clear that these songs are going to be all different in style and presentation.
With this in mind, Idiots at Large starts with a gentle feel with Tim’s vocals clear and precise before it falls suddenly into an industrial sounding interlude to break up the song, the gentler feel battles against these intervals right up to the end, all of which creates an interesting and maybe challenging listen at first. This leads to A Stand up for the Dying, which is in direct contrast to the previous song, in one of the album’s longer tracks it puts us back into more familiar Tim territory. An atmospheric and moody song with Tim’s trademark vocals and some heartfelt lyrics, a beautiful song.
The variety of the songs continues, indeed, the track You Can Always Disappear has an almost fairground style musically, and once again the shorter running time works in its favour. This is proven with the two shortest songs both at around a minute and a half, prove to be just the right length to get his message across. All song, no filler you could say.
This is an album that benefits from repeated plays, there are hidden depths here, and the sheer variety of the material is revealed with each further play. Tim’s voice is on top form, but what is most noticeable is the quality of the playing and range of instruments that he has chosen to use and play himself.
In summary Powder Dry is a most different album from anything Tim has done before, but it contains concise straight to the point songs, and that is its success. If you are fan of Tim’s music definitely give it a listen, you will be surprised and hooked onto what a clever album this is, I for one look forward to where he will take his music on the next one.
TRACK LISTING
01. Rock Hudson (2:07)
02. Lost / Not Lost (2:14)
03. When Summer Comes (3:06)
04. Idiots At Large (2:57)
05. A Stand Up For The Dying (5:08)
06. Old Crawler (1:20)
07. Heartbreak Notes (1:36)
08. Ghost Of A Kiss (1:38)
09. Summer Turned (2:11)
10. You Can Always Disappear (2:42)
11. Powder Dry (2:43)
12. Films Of Our Youth (1:34)
13. This Way Now (2:25)
14. I Was There (4:18)
15. The Film Of Your Youth (2:23)
16. Built To Last (2:36)
Total Time – 40:57
MUSICIANS
Tim Bowness – Vocals, All Instruments
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Kscope
Country of Origin: U.K.
Date of Release: 16th August 2024
LINKS
Tim Bowness – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | X | Instagram