For those of us of a certain vintage out there, the apparently sudden re-emergence of JOHN FOXX in the mid-90s (with the wonderful "Shifting City") was cause to run up the flags. That this enigmatically cool character should return sounding so vibrant and relevant a decade after his last solo work (1985's under-rated "In Mysterious Ways") was almost too good to be true.
And now it gets better, for in "Crash And Burn"- with now-regular contributor LOUIS GORDON again by his side - he's created a new album which harks back to the brilliantly sparse soundscapes of his classic "Metamatic" album while retaining an entirely contemporary edge.
As with "Metamatic", guitars are entirely dispensed with, but Foxx's own description of his synth-based music as "modern urban folk music" rings entirely true, as these 12 largely POP songs contain all the lyrical intrigue, motorik rhythmic muscle and cool choruses that always set him apart from the pack.
Based around the descending chimes of a grandfather clock, "Drive" is a superbly evocative opener, with Foxx and Gordon cruising through the backwaters of their collective mind. "Cinema" compounds the good impression and sounds like a single to these ears, melding John's seductive vocals with huge, grandeur-filled keyboard fantails. Tremendous.
Elsewhere, they can be poppy and disorientating like on the low-riding "Broken Furniture" and the Kraftwerk-ian "Sidewalking", or alternatively they can be slow, cool and dreamy like on the surreal tiptoe of "Once In A While" or the tantalisingly delicate closing track "Smoke." In all cases they make perfect sense.
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Meanwhile, unlike the genuinely fearful Cold War-obsessed world "Metamatic" was born into, "Crash And Burn" comments viscerally on the local apocalypses we're all too familiar with these days. The horrors of the title song are all too tangible, while tracks like "Sex Video" and the genetics-obsessed "She Robot" ensure Foxx and Gordon retain their distinctive, futuristic feel. Besides, they've always got something more playful in reserve, like "Ray1/ Ray 2" (basically The Velvets crossed with OMD's "Red Frame, White Light") should the reportage get too portentous.
Twenty-five years down the line, you'd be tempted to bestow John Foxx with 'cult veteran' status, but - as has so often been the case - his music here is so compelling, intelligent and downright contemporary that he still sounds way ahead of whatever game you care to mention. "Crash And Burn" is another triumphant episode from a man with a superb collaborator we must never under-estimate.
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