Kevin Godley: Muscle Memory (CD on State of Conspiracy )

Band: Kevin Godley
Label: State of Conspiracy
Title: Muscle Memory

Review (1)	Release Details	Add Release	Releases (1)	Articles (1)
Cover Art (1)	Versions (0)	Edit Release	Releases List (1)	Reviews (1)
Pictures (3)			Summary (0)	Related (0)
			Jukebox (1)	List All (2)

Band:Kevin Godley
Title:Muscle Memory
Reviewed By:Lisa Torem
Date Published:26/11/2020

Label:State of Conspiracy
Format:CD
Release Year:2020
Lookup:

Former 10cc and Godley and Crème recording artist/producer Kevin Godley spearheaded his solo album project, ‘Muscle Memory,’ although he went about it in a roundabout way. It was really his fans who gave him the idea. He first received a couple of instrumental tracks from unsolicited strangers with requests to create music and lyrics. Intrigued by this concept, Godley reached out for additional tracks, finally receiving 286 more. With eleven making the final cut, the seeds for ‘Muscle Memory’ were finally planted.

The tracks, as one would imagine, vary widely. ‘Expecting a Message’ features his robotic voice and a chorus which sounds like a deep inhalation of breath. Godley’s voice is strong and invincible against those breaths and the additional cacophony of jarring sounds.

‘The Ghosts of the Living’ is more ethereal. Godley namechecks spirituality as voices float in an out of the ambient landscape. He utters phrases like, “See how they blunder around in your mind…”

‘Hit the Street’ begins with pretty Spanish guitar and hesitant notes on a piano. “It’s me in the shadows/Waiting across the street,” Godley demures. As the story progresses, he moans, ‘Make the world go away” and “If you’re ready to walk the street, let me walk you.”

‘The Bang Bang Theory ‘is set against a wild percussion track and a bevy of male utterances. “Gonna make it mandatory to own a shot gun,” he declares. “Mr. President, please, listen to yourself.”

It’s in ‘5 Minutes Alone,’ that Godley’s tenor becomes a truly warm, mellifluous and operatic instrument. This song has an unorthodox harmonic progression. He expresses the utmost vulnerability in this romantic ballad, asking “How can I write if my hands are shaking?” before ticking off some lovely imagery: “Summer hat with the bluebirds on…”

‘Cut to the Cat’ is slick and urban. Godley speaks in monotone against an industrial track as a cinematic series of images flood the senses. On ‘One Day,’ he imagines, “there will be no music.” The caustic ‘All Bones are White’ is actually more down-to-earth than it appears: “All I know is what they told me,” it begins. ‘Periscope,’ unlike the electronic tracks, has a folksy finish and is crammed with social observations: “Everybody I know is glued to a screen” and “I can’t stop looking at the sky.”

‘Song of Hate’ is deceptive. It starts off mellow: “Thanks for keeping my head on straight,” Thank you for raising the bar,” but as Godley moves along, we see that this relationship went frightfully wrong and that his anger is palpable.

In ‘Bulletholes in the Sky,’ the story goes: “I tried to say a prayer last night but the words came out broken.” Godley hides behind no emotional barrier here. The piano gives the song the perfect glow.

‘Muscle Memory’ developed out of a fascinating concept which Godley carried out to a tee.

Track Listing:

01) Expecting a Message
02) The Ghosts of the Living
03) Hit the Street
04) The Bang Bang Theory
05) 5 Minutes Alone
06) Cut to the Cat
07) One day
08) All Bones are White
09) Periscope
10) Song of Hate
11) Bulletholes in the Sky

First Previous Next Last

Related Links

http://www.kevin-godley.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Godley
https://twitter.com/kevingodley9

Commenting On: Muscle Memory by Kevin Godley

Header

Comment:

Your Name

Your Location ie London, England

tick box before submitting comment

First Previous Next Last

Related Bands (edit)

Related Labels
State of Conspiracy

Review Header

Singer/musician/producer Kevin Godley’s new album creates original lyrics and music against instrumental tracks sent in by fans.

Kevin Godley:Interview
10cc and Godley and Crème's Kevin Godley talks to Lisa Torem about his new interactive album project, ‘Muscle Memory,’ which asks pertinent questions about these unsettling times.

First Previous Next

Articles A-Z
View All				A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K
L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Muscle Memory - CD
Singer/musician/producer Kevin Godley’s new album creates original lyrics and music against instrumental tracks sent in by fans.

First Previous Next

Reviews A-Z
View All				A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K
L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z