Andy Bell: Non-Stop
Andy Bell: Non-Stop
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By Lewis Bazley. |  |
Monday, 07, Jun 2010 11:12
Mute Records, out now.
What's it all about?
Hot on the heels of his new single Call On Me, Andy Bell of 80s pop outfit Erasure, releases an album of dance grooves, electro and disco.
Who's it by
Non-Stop is Andy Bell's second solo album and enables the artist to explore avenues away from his pop-centric work with Erasure, still an ongoing concern with Vince Clarke since their 1986 debut Wonderland.
With Non-Stop, Andy Bell ventures into nocturnal disco-glam territory, inspired by Madonna.
"I just needed to have a breather and see what else is going on," said Andy. "Spread my wings, live my life a little.
"I wouldn't say I'm a club kid but I do love hearing remixes and club tunes. The album is quite robotic, quite tongue in cheek; lots of synths and glamorous disco.
"I can't get Madonna out of my head and I feel if she can do that why can't I?"
Non-Stop has been co-produced and co-written by Bell and Pascal Gabriel, the Belgian-born producer whose CV boasts Ladyhawke, New Order, Kylie Minogue and Little Boots.
Bell has worked with Gabriel before, when the latter remixed Erasure material.
Said Andy: "We had one writing session at Pascal's house in France, then one writing session at the Strongroom in London and we just clicked.
"He is Cancerian, the same as Vince. Their characteristics are quite similar, both very thorough and hard-working. It was great fun. Pascal is very much like Vince. Very organised and methodical."
Besides his solo work and being part of Erasure, Andy Bell has performed in opera, playing the role of Montresor in The Fall Of The House Of Usher in 1991.
As he said in a recent interview with an American entertainment website: "It was quite a naive performance but I think that's why the guy picked me to do it.
"I would love to have a go at Threepenny Opera. I would love to a duets record with mainly female singers and I would love to do an orchestral album. There's still loads and loads of things to do."
Working in theatre also appeals, as Andy said: "I just saw Love Never Dies. I'd love to do something like that, but maybe not so commercial. Something off Broadway perhaps."
Then there's the prospect of his Erasure work being turned into a stage production. He said: "I've got a list of some of my favourite songs from Erasure that I think are very theatrical and do tell a story.
"It would be a case of weaving a narrative through the lyrics but I know that's not a walk in the park. It's a monumental task."
Returning to Non-Stop, Andy explained that Call On Me, the first single to be released from the new LP, draws its inspiration from Diana Ross singing Ain't No Mountain High Enough and Andy's friends who live in the East Village in New York.
While the bulk of Non-Stop is celebratory and life-affirming, the artist admits there are moments of doubt and darkness.
Touch is one such moment, being Andy's reaction to reality TV. The punkish track came about when Andy was offered a reality TV show.
He said of the pervasive genre: "It's almost as if they're forcing you to make a spectacle of yourself."
Non-Stop sees Andy revelling in his fondness for electro-disco with the title track described by the artist as being "f**ked up on the dancefloor".
And DHDQ is a homage to the high energy of late 70s/early 80s New York club drag queens.
The closing track, Honey If You Love Him, was penned by Perry Farrell from Jane's Addiction. Andy said: "Perry is so cool, a lovely man and quite camp."
As an example...
"Show no emotion/Inside I'm choking." - Running Out
What the others say
"Just like Madge's silver jubilee album, Non-Stop is intense, repetitive, medium to dark electro house. Musically, it's slick, professional and knowingly referential. In all, there's nothing to dislike here but surely there are more satisfying jobs than hoovering up Madonna's crumbs." - Music OMH.com
"Non-Stop is a lavish ten track collection of exquisite dancefloor confessionals from one of the most acclaimed and beloved singers in British pop." - AntiMusic.com
So is it any good?
Opening track Running Out is a bit worrying. It's slick, admittedly, but the phoned-in vocals are at odds with the lavish electro-disco beat and it is very sickly sweet. The aural equivalent of tooth decay.
Luckily, Call On Me is perky, high-energy disco goodness with a swirly Goldfrapp quality although Bell's voice is a little too mature at times to really be belting out this sort of material. The Scissor Sisters got there first with Filthy Gorgeous et al.
Track three Subject/Object wants to be down and dirty but never totally gels, veering uneasily between ABC/Heaven 17-styled dance anthem and hypnotic heavy house.
And that's the crux of the matter. The album wants to capture the undeniable energy of Madonna's output circa 2005-2009 with sexy swathes of electro-disco as deftly delivered by Kylie and Scissor Sisters and the aforementioned Goldfrapp, but Andy Bell has opted for a huskier vocal style for Non-Stop, and it really isn't up to the task at hand.
However, Slow Release - midway through the album - is a decent ballad that echoes Bell's Erasure work; moody, heartfelt and sensual.
Shame he goes and spoils it all with the silly Touch, a track attacking reality TV which sounds somewhat amateurish.
DHDQ injects some sparkly sexiness into the LP with its bonkers Euro-disco meets New York circa 1979 yet you know that the Scissor Sisters have already ploughed this furrow faster, harder and so much better.
The album closer, Honey If You Love Him, had me reaching for the off switch scant seconds into the intro.
Well, Andy, you tried but the sooner you get back in the studio with Vince the better, really.
4/10
Lee Davis