Marianne Faithfull
Negative Capability
BMG
Marianne Faithfull will turn 72 in December, and, like many artists her age and of her generation, she continues to do what she does best while still pushing boundaries. Since her debut performance in 1964 (her debut album was released in 1965),she has continued to release thought-provoking, groundbreaking albums. Negative Capability is her 20th studio album, and her first release since 2014βs beautiful Give My Love To London. Here, on Negative Capability, she is saying goodbye to friends, coping with old age, poor health, addressing terrorism, and realizing her own mortality. It is a wonderful album.
βI know Iβm not young, and Iβm damaged/But Iβm still pretty, kinda funny,β Faithfull sings in βIn My Own Particular Wayβ. A bold and harsh statement, but she follows it up with βI am ready to loveβ. The fear is, will someone love her back? It is set against some of the most beautifulΒ music being produced today. Beautifully layered, melodic, almost wistful music, as she faces down her own demons. This is typical of many of the songs on the album. A personal account of her life.
The album is produced by long time collaborator Rob Ellis (who produced her last five studio albums) and Warren Ellis (from The Bad Seeds). Warren Ellis also provides violin throughout the album and his boss, Nick Cave, performs an incredible duet with Faithfull βThe Gypsy Faerie Queenβ, which is an absolute stunning song. Cave co-wrote it with Faithfull, and they two of them together produce a staggeringly beautiful sound.
Other guests on the album include Ed Harcourt and Mark Lanegan, and both add a great deal. Listen to βNew Moon In Parisβ, co-written with Harcourt. It is a song about Faithfull looking back on her life. It has the same impact as Cash covering βHurtβ. It is absolutely painful, honest and one of the most moving songs I have heard this year. This follows the song, βThey Come At Nightβ about the attacks in Paris.
She does some interesting covers on the album. Dylanβs βItβs All Over Now, Baby Blueβ gets the Faithfull treatment, and it is fine. She covers βAs Tears Go Byβ, a song she took to the top of the charts in 1965. Here, it becomes more of a dirge and an almost funeral song. Finally, she takes βWitchesβ from the brilliant Broken English and it is actually a better version than on the original album. A rare feat.
Faithfull’s voice is as good as ever, and her writing has gotten better with age. The album may not be the most original album released this year, but it is one of the most personal and honestΒ albums released this year and perhaps of her career. It is refreshing that an artist of her stature can continue to grow and deliver very strong and emotional music.
ArtistΒ Links
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: MARIANNE FAITHFULL – NEGATIVE CAPABILITY
Aaron Badgley