Ten years after his last solo album, SHIFTY ADVENTURES IN NOOKIE WOOD, the great John Cale (80) has released a new solo album. On MERCY he doesn’t quite show that he can still write catchy songs: melodies are too often sacrificed in favor of countless synth pads, which, like ice floes, shift incredibly slowly against each other.
Below them it drips and wafts like in an industrial cave: Percussion, influenced by post-R’n’B and hip-hop, drags the tracks forward. Through this inhospitable landscape, Cale sings about the climate catastrophe: “Monsoons happening everywhere / Even in your backyard” (“Time Stands Still”). For an emotional pop moment, “Moonstruck (Nico’s Song)” is a string-backed ode to Cale’s talented and feisty Velvet Underground companion, and “I Know You’re Happy” (feat. Tei Shi) is a flawless pretty one , upbeat vibe track.
Unfortunately, the names of the numerous guests (including Weyes Blood, Actress) read more impressively than their audible musical contributions at the end. And the most annoying band of the 21st century, Animal Collective, doesn’t make an inherently tiresome song like “Everlasting Days” any more enjoyable.
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