Listening to the stunning voice of Beth Gibbons, lead singer of phenom-band Portishead, on her new album called Out of Season, I’m also reading Arianna Huffington’s piece in Salon called America’s Final Wakeup Call.
First, the good. Gibbons, while no longer straining to sound more passionate than she already is, has put together with former Talk Talk (you read that correctly) bassist Paul Webb, aka Rustin Mann. Their album together is alternative rock put to blues with a huge and haunting dose of 1920s-era musical nostalgia and references to a more choral moment. Most impressive are the backing vocals which make a soft heart ache.
Next, the bad. Huffington reviews former CEO of Alcoa’s incredible revelations about the Bush administration in the new book The Price of Loyalty by Ron Suskind. It turns out that you don’t need a progressive voice to note how fanatical Bush, who is again revealed to truly be a Cheney puppet, and his friends are. I actually think I could stomach the book itself.
Is there a relationship between the new album and book? No.