i/ o (Dark-Side Mix 2LP)

Description

Peter Gabriel’s New Albumi/o: Dark-Side Mixon 2LP. Gabriels First Album of New Material Since 2002sUp. The Album Is Available in Two Stereo Mixes. The Dark-Side Mix Was Reshaped by Tchad Blake.

More than 20 years in the making, this December finally sees the release ofi/o, Peter Gabriels first album of new material since 2002s Up. During 2023, Peter has been releasing a new song from the album on the occasion of every full moon. Being revealed roughly every four weeks, each track has been allowed to find its own time and space, to enjoy its own orbit. Its a little like getting a Lego piece each month, Peter explains. Now its time to stand back and admire the final, completed creation. And what a creation 12 tracks of grace, gravity and great beauty that provide welcome confirmation of not only Peters ongoing ability to write stop-you-in-your-tracks songs but also of that thrilling voice, still perfectly, delightfully intact. Throughout the album the intelligent and thoughtful often thought-provoking songs tackle life and the universe. Our connection to the world around us Im just a part of everything Peter sings on title tracki/o is a recurring motif, but so too the passing of time, mortality and grief, alongside such themes as injustice, surveillance and the roots of terrorism. But this is not a solemn record. While reflective, the mood is never despondent; i/o is musically adventurous, often joyous and ultimately full of hope, topped off as it is, by the rousingly optimistic closing song, Live and Let Live. Always looking to push the boundaries,i/ois not simply a collection of a dozen songs. All 12 tracks are subject to two stereo mixes: the Bright-Side Mix, handled by Mark Spike Stent, and the Dark-Side Mix, as reshaped by Tchad Blake. We have two of the greatest mixers in the world in Tchad and Spike and they definitely bring different characters to the songs. Tchad is very much a sculptor building a journey with sound and drama, Spike loves sound and assembling these pictures, so hes more of a painter. Peter has also invited a range of visual artists to contribute a piece of art to accompany each track. The dozen artists make an exceedingly impressive team of collaborators: Ai Weiwei, Nick Cave, Olafur Eliasson, Henry Hudson, Annette Messager, Antony Micallef, David Moreno, Cornelia Parker, Megan Rooney, Tim Shaw, David Spriggs and Barthlmy Toguo. Having handpicked the artists, Peter recognises that They have the same obsessive attention to their visual work that we musicians have in sound. This 2LP is the Dark-Side Mix version. Black vinyl, gatefold sleeve, 32 page booklet.

1. Panopticom – Dark-Side Mix2. The Court – Dark-Side Mix3. Playing for Time – Dark-Side Mix4. i/o – Dark-Side Mix5. Four Kinds of Horses – Dark-Side Mix6. Road to Joy – Dark-Side Mix7. So Much – Dark-Side Mix8. Olive Tree – Dark-Side Mix9. Love Can Heal – Dark-Side Mix10. This Is Home – Dark-Side Mix11. And Still – Dark-Side Mix12. Live and Let Live – Dark-Side Mix