After 21 years Gabriel is releasing his first album of new original songs. At the ripe age of 73, Gabriel's voice sounds great on "Panopticon" . These songs have both a light and dark mix. So I am going through both mixes at the same time as I go through the album, but I am only going to score the song once, which for "Panopticon" doesn't affect much, since the difference is the dark mix has more atmospheric sounds at the edge and a little more rock punch here and there. It is progressive rock that is more adventurous than other artists on mainstream rock radio though not as wild as say what he did with Genesis back on "the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway".
"The Court " finds him continuing his narration of modern society, done in a smooth almost new-wave pop fashion, with moody piano wandering in. These sessions were recorded with the trio that has been his core band for some time with former King Crimson bassist Tony Levin, guitarist David Rhodes, and drummer Manu Katche. The dark side re-mix of "the Court" is a more different take than what they did with the first song. His melody remains intact, but the way the verse breaks down creates more space. "Playing For Time" is a typical ballad for what he does, granted this is not my favorite flavor of what he does, but it's on brand for him. The Dark side mix of this one is even more stripped down.
The title track has a little more groove to it. He muses more metaphysical matters on this one. It gets more upbeat than what I normally listen to but it works for who he is these days. The darkside mix of this song feels similar maybe the guitars were brought up in the chorus. I really like the moodier "Four Kinds of Horses". Lyrically powerful and vocally emotive it's what I want from him. With lines like "This is how you travel, if you live to see the world explode". The darkside mix is a little more orchestrated and jammed out into the ambiance. "Road to Joy" feels like one of his pop songs from the 80s, think perhaps "In Your Eyes" when it comes to the jubilant vibe it builds into, the groove being more like Bowie's "Fame". The dark side mix only differs in where things like the guitars and synths sit in the background.
"So Much " finds us back in the mode of Gaberiel's more delicate ballads. The dark side mix is more interesting, as vocals have a little more effects and there is more ambiance hovering around it. "Olive Tree" is another great song that finds his vocal chords at perhaps their most supple yet, before it bursts into a joyful chorus, that recalls Paul Simon's solo work in the 80s. The dark side mix gives the verses a moodier touch. The guitars are also more present in where they sit. "Love Can Heal" floats on a delicate cloud of ambiance, but works for the mood it is meant to convey. The dark side mix has deeper layers of this ambiance. This album does not touch on world music as much as what he has done in the past though the influence is hinted at on "This is Home". It flows with the grace you expect from him. The dark side mix feels brighter in terms of the more organic manner the sounds sit in the mix.
"And Still" is another delicate ballad that is not what I prefer him to do but that does not mean he does not do it well. The last song is more middle of the road but is on target for what he does as well. There are some more interesting sounds brought to light in the darkside mix which I prefer over the first presentation of this song. I will round this one up to a 10, as the parts that I am not into as much are sure to grow on me and are balanced out by the stellar moments. Impressive that he is still capable of doing this into his 70s, as his work is more vocally challenging than say the Rolling Stones.
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