I've been awash in the sounds of Gary Numan's Telekon all day and it's taken me to some strange and fascinating places. It's like being sung to by a soothing robot servant only to gradually realize the songs are full of mechanical anguish:
“Remember, I grow tired
Remember, I could end all this
Remember, I have memories
Remember, I need to forget”
…and:
“It gets so I feel like
I'm in this cold, glass, cage”.
Hmm, it seems Numan was grappling with a few blue emotions when he made this follow up to his mega hit LP The Pleasure Principle, the album that includes Cars–which is, sadly, the only Numan song most of the public is familiar with. In fact, when on tour promoting Telelkon, he even threatened to retire from the industry.
Even though this album reintroduced guitars into Numan's music I find it an airier and less rocking effort. Between synth poppy greats like We Are Glass and This Wreckage are Erik Satie's Tres Gymnop?dies and Photograph, two extraordinarily lovely instrumental pieces that are among my favorites.
But what do you think?