Paul released an album at the end of 2008 but I am now just listening to it. It's Paul revisiting himself as a different artist a la The Beatles as Sgt Pepper. I guess the reason for this is that he could experiment away and he could excuse it if people hate it. Paul is never one to not make it known he should be appreciated for all the great music he's made, most of which was with our favorite band, so I never pay much attention to the substandard music he has put out for a while; mostly, out of boredom it would seem. Then it occurred to me that maybe we should just be happy he's still making music. I had heard that "Electric Arguments" was the best album he's done in decades. It may be but it will depend on how varied your taste in music is.
I have listened to "Electric Arguments" twice all the way through, and I am not as disappointed with it as I thought I would be. I'm not going to break it down song by song just simply state that there are five outstanding songs on this album: "Sing the Changes, Highway, Light From Your Lighthouse, Sun is Shining, and Dance Till We're High". These songs are the old McCartney magic and showcase his almost unparalleled strength for melodies and "hooks". "Nothing Too Much Just Out of" is a rocker and his voice is pretty impressive but it only just kinda grabs me. It always annoys the hell outta me when I read how bad Macca's voice is compared to the good old days. Well, Duh! The guy is 66 and people want him to sound the way he did at 24? Paul McCartney has influenced countless musicians and it's a testament to this that I can hear dashes of Billy Joel, Bono, and Bruce Springsteen in this album's songs. Ironic the artists that were influenced by Paul are now leaving marks on his songs.
I also have to give Paul credit for branching out a bit and experimenting with Sonic Youth. Fans of electronica, techno beats, and all that kind of spacey new agey vibe will appreciate "Electric Arguments" probably more than I did. Although you could say that the Beatles were the first group ever to experiment with electronica by way of backward tape loops, slowing down and speeding up different tracks in their 66 and 67 period of psychedelia. One very interesting song I can't quite put in as great with the five I mentioned is "Traveling Light". It's Paul embracing his Irish heritage with this very celtic sound. It's nice and it may get better with age or it could get boring. We'll find out.
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The Fireman, Paul and Youth is a duo group: Paul and Martin Glover who goes by the name Youth. I have been a Beatle fan since I was 8 in 1967. I also quit Paul years ago. I see some major Pink Floyd influences in this CD. Remember a few years back David Gilmour was on tour with Paul and playing as a session man.
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