SIMPLE MINDS - WALK BETWEEN WORLDS
FIRST ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL SINCE 2014'S HUGELY ACCLAIMED BIG MUSIC
On 2nd February, BMG will release Walk Between Worlds,
Simple Minds' first album of new material since 2014's
Big Music (which MOJO Magazine declared "their best album in 30 years").
Walk Between Worlds was produced by Simple Minds with
Andy Wright and Gavin Goldberg, both of whom worked on Big Music. With its
eight tracks rocketing past in 42 minutes, it is a relatively concise affair. It is also an album of two distinct sides, very
much the old-school album format that singer Jim Kerr and
Charlie Burchill grew up with as music fans. Side one tracks such as
Summer and
The Signal And The Noise revisit the glassy guitars and new wave
dance grooves of the post-punk era and the second half explores more cinematic sounds, with the
title track and
Barrowland Star
The album is bookended by two songs about faith, Magic and
Sense Of Discovery. The first is a reflection on the desire and hunger of youth – the
faith in their own abilities that Simple Minds possessed during their formative years.
Sense Of Discovery, which features a melodic refrain that alludes to 1985’s
Alive And Kicking, is centred on the voice of an older narrator passing on wisdom
and advice to a younger individual.
One of the album’s key tracks is Barrowland Star, named after the iconic ballroom
in the East End of Glasgow that has hosted many memorable Simple Minds shows. It’s a song that takes the
band away from their traditional comfort zone, layering strings and a spellbinding Charlie
guitar solo (one that reminds Jim of Mick Ronson) over some poignant
words. For Jim and Charlie playing the
Barrowland was always a big deal, a mixture of excitement – and fear – it felt as if they were about to engage
in a prize-fight rather than simply play a rock concert.
The album artwork is by Brazilian visual artist Heitor Magno, whose work is often a surreal montage of vivid
coloured imagery and black and white photography. The image he has created for
Walk Between Worlds is emblematic of Simple Minds' metamorphosis.
The central character on the front cover bearing an uncanny resemblance to a young Jim Kerr – the sleeve
could also be viewed as a telling throwback to the Sons And Fascination era.
Simple Minds were the standard bearers for a new kind of rock in the Eighties, when they took the art-rock invention
of post-punk and constructed a musical Colossus by adding rousing choruses and a touch of Celtic soul. As they contemplate
turning 40, their legacy is something to be proud of and with Walk Between Worlds their story continues to evolve.
With Jim and
Charlie now part of a theatrical gang of musicians that are, in
Jim's words, "more inspired by the likes Sly & The Family Stone than
a traditional male rock band",
the tour will feature the
Acoustic tour line up of:
Jim and
Charlie, percussionist
Cherisse Osei and backing vocalist
Catherine AD alongside band mainstays
Ged Grimes on bass, multi-instrumentalist
Gordy Goudie, and regular backing singer (and sometimes lead vocalist)
Sarah Brown. "The whole stage set-up is now more fluid," says
Charlie. "We’re working on fresh arrangements of some old songs, and there is
going to be more movement between the musicians onstage. There will be time for people to digest the songs and more space for
Jim to talk to the audience."
FORMATS: Walk Between Worlds will be available on standard
and deluxe CD, standard, deluxe and picture disc vinyl, digital download and stream.
STANDARD TRACKLIST:
1. Magic
2. Summer
3. Utopia
4. The Signal and The Noise
5. In Dreams
6. Barrowland Star
7. Walk Between Worlds
8. Sense Of Discovery
DELUXE EDITIONS INCLUDE THE BONUS TRACKS:
1. Silent Kiss
2. Angel Underneath My Skin
3. Dirty Old Town [Live]
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