Review: Restless Soul New Release by the Proclaimers

The Proclaimers are back! Instead of having to wait four or even seven years between releases, as fans have in the past, Restless Soul reaches stores only two years following its predecessor. Already available in the British Isles, the disc will be released in North America on September 6th.

On first listen things sound pretty much the same: great harmonies, ringing acoustic guitars, gritty, realistic lyrics, and a driving beat. But from the first track on there is a noticeable difference. The production values are more sophisticated than one has come to expect from a Proclaimers disc.

Strings make sporadic appearances filling out the sound and adding previously absent texture. Previously known for a bare bones, almost in your face approach to their presentation, it feels like they've taken a step back from their microphones in an attempt to make a more intimate album.

In keeping with this, the tracks on the disc have a more introspective theme. "When Love Struck You Down", "Turning Away", and the title track "Restless Soul" have the brothers turning a microscope on the inner workings of love and motivation. In fact the album as a whole seems preoccupied with the nature of relationships.

From the simple joy of a shared post-coitus moment in "That's Better Now" and the pleasure of rediscovering the reasons behind a love-in "What I Saw In You", one gets the feeling that they have set out to write pop love songs for adults. Instead of the more typical juvenile teenage infatuations, this is a celebration of the joys of a lasting love.

Of course not all love can be idyllic. "He Just Can't" is about the denial a man goes through when he realizes he has crossed the line of no return by beating his wife. "He just can't face the fact" repeats the refrain over and over again. Simple words that convey complex emotion and one simple fact: abusers just don't get it.

An examination of love wouldn't be complete without one good obsessive, bordering on stalking, love song. "Bound For Your Love" is not about stalking, but it shows how we can get so wrapped up in a person that we can't be apart from them and tend to make fools of ourselves in the process.

Article Author: Richard Marcus

Richard Marcus is the author of the forthcoming book What Will Happen In Eragon IV? and has had his work published in print and on line all over the world. The not so long-haired Canadian iconoclast writes reviews and opines on the world as he sees …

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