“The right-wingers are burning down their libraries,” Cale croaks caustically from inside a static storm during ‘Company Commander’, a dizzying centerpiece of disorienting sequences, frantic rhythms and overlapping drones. “Giving us the benefits and the doubt”. Such moments throughout the hour-long and all-consuming POPtical Illusion reinforce the feel of MERCY, Cale's much-lauded 2023 album that was as curious as it was fierce. Guests like Weyes Blood, Animal Collective and Sylvan Esso amplified that feeling, amplifying the unease and anger across generational lines. For his first solo album in seven years, Cale had a lot of unpleasant news to process.
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John Cale has always been a musician of the times, helping to usher in titanic shifts in sound and culture. The groundbreaking drones of his Sun Blindness Music paved the way for The Velvet Underground. The wild rock of Fear and Slow Dazzle, not to mention his productions with Patti Smith and the Stooges, shaped half a century of punk, post-punk and art rock. On POPtical Illusion, Cale once again shows himself to be a musician of the time.
Additional information
Dates
March 2025
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