Interplay, definitely an album of the year for 2011 for many people.
I think there’s more emphasis being placed here on a consciously romantic trajectory from John within one of his 'electro' album’s than he’s done for some time, it’s the most instantly likeable, complete, and brightest work for me that he’s provided since..? Well, is making a point out of this a non-starter, there’s different seasons in the journey of John’s musical output, that’s how it’s always lived and grown and held our interest and we’ve admired it or otherwise in our individual degrees of response. The official critics/reviewers have positively embraced Interplay, but as long-time fan’s we’ve long done without the need of that external confirmation, personally, and I hope many agree that, Interplay is a classic album to equal the intelligent progressive pop of John’s solo period. In that past he steered his art in part through a highly flirtatious enthusiasm towards various influences, artists such as the Beatles and Van Morrison were happily romanced and wed to John’s style, and now today his current blissful empowerment to creativity has been logically and emotionally filtered through producer/performer Benge’s unique studio and sympathetic understanding of the Foxx legacy
There’s a confidence and balance in the choice of tracks, everything just fits as the album climbs gradually upwards from the start where John’s vocals inspired by William Burroughs rasping manner (and so particularly suited to John’s own voice) are forced out over the irresistible beat of Shatterproof. Second track Catwalk with its fashionable blend of 60’s sway gives call to the ‘sound of the crowd’, to ‘gather round now’, ‘put your body in a pose’ and 'pass around now' as Evergreen comes flowing along all warm and breezy. The tango of Watching A Building On Fire has Foxx lyrics of old echoed here along with some old-school electro effects being floated into the mix, the album then rests and reflects for a moment with the unexpectedly affecting and thoughtful Interplay and its subtle hint of David Sylvian-style introversion.
After the interlude of Interplay the album moves forward with Summerland and its emotive mixture of uncertain joy tinged with that typical Foxxian regret making the hair stand up on the back of your neck, there’s also a déjà vu present with shades of John’s Dance With Me being encouraged into here but in a more brighter optimistic vision. If there was any such thing as pop justice in the world then Summerland would’ve been a number-one smash hit single, going onto being a popular staple on pub jukeboxes countrywide for the next quarter of a century until rediscovery and appropriation in 2036 as part of the soundtrack for an obscure indie movie or an over-hyped British romcom, leaving the viewer compelled to seek out the fascinating source/origins of the music.
The Running Man hits up the techno in something akin to a salute to John’s old comrade in arms Louis Gordon, but the softer pace of A Falling Star following on almost makes The Running Man seem out of place. The darkly hued A Falling Star like Summerland is another hair-raising track, wow, two on one album, now that’s real proper Foxx Mah-gic!, and both songs could’ve come straight from John’s ‘beauty period’ of The Garden through to The Golden Section and In Mysterious Ways. Destination with John’s Eno-esque vocals slips in like a sleek mysterious stealth submarine gliding silently into harbour, its a track that just rolls effortlessly forward lifting the album towards a climax, surely it should have been the finale going out on an upward destination… but its an intelligent peak that leads to the 'Endless, Endless' intro and graceful romance of Good Shadow. Its hypnotic floaty vibe is the right choice as closing track, sadly ten minutes too short and finished before we see through the golden clouds, oh well, we can always play the entire album over again, that’s what 2012 is for!
