In his personal lexicon, pop chameleon
Marc Almond
seems to place special meaning on the word "star";
Chaos and a Dancing Star
marks the fourth time he's employed it in an album title (alongside 1988's
The Stars We Are
, 1996's
Fantastic Star
, and 2007's
Stardom Road
). The thread that binds these outings to one another and
is that all illuminate
Almond
's expansive view of pop and were deliberately aimed at the charts.
resumes his partnership with producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist
Chris Braide
; they worked together on 2015's
The Velvet Trail
. The pair began writing songs for this project in Los Angeles with a view toward delivering a prog album! Though it evolved from there, one can easily hear prog influences in the tragic opener "Black Sunrise," with majestic synths, processional drums, and
Neal X
's (nee
Whitmore
) guitar break. It's also there in the shattered love story, "The Stars Are Gone" (there's that word again) and single "Lord of Misrule," driven by
Ian Anderson
's flute. (
appeared with
Anderson
at Royal Albert Hall in 2013 when he performed
Jethro Tull
's
Thick as a Brick
.) But the singer's prog touches offer just one of several styles here. "Hollywood Forever" is an aching paean to the bright lights, twisted ambitions, and ruined lives of Tinseltown, with a hooky rock outro carried by
's guitar. "Chevrolet Corvette Stingray," another L.A.-penned number, is lyrically perverse yet melodically elegant, juxtaposing early-'60s radio pop with nightmarish postmodern cabaret. "Slow Burn Love" is anything but; its "whoa-oh-oh-oh" backing chorus, phase-shifted electric guitar, and pulsing drumkit, frame
's passionate and committed croon. The weight of his lyrics pairs seamlessly with his forceful delivery. "Fighting a War" juxtaposes
Marc Bolan
-esque glam with
Soft Cell
's swinging, big-beat dance grooves. "Chaos," with tick-ticking hi-hat and cascading piano, weds Brill Building-styled pop, early-'80s new wave, and French
Saravah
soul. The narrative poetry in "Cherry Tree" is
Bowie
-esque with a sweeping melody, dynamic strings, and synths, and layered backing vocals. While "Dreaming of the Sea" is a 21st century pop-cabaret anthem, closer "The Crow's Eyes Have Turned Blue" is quintessential dark
Marc
. Accompanied by a solo, gently reverbed, acoustic piano for the first half,
's protagonist is open, vulnerable, and alone. He sings as if resigned to the notion that love can only turn to ashes in a chaotic, polluted, merciless world. Strings enter and buoy him as the song is revealed as a suicide note. Before it concludes, a pulsing synth, hypnotic drumkit, and electric guitar, cut through; the protagonist describes his absent beloved from memory, as if singing from the other side of eternity. The production and performances on
reveal
at his most sophisticated and ambitious. Thesebeautifully written and arranged songs arrive as deep emanations from the singer's personal well of passion, pleasure, heartbreak, sin, and loss. ~ Thom Jurek