New. Considering Sir Paul McCartney’s reverence as a musician, New is the only possible direction. The way in which audiophiles consume music is constantly evolving, and I’m sure McCartney has witnessed quite a few changes over his prolific fifty-plus year career in the industry. Now seventy-one years old, McCartney still strives to deliver something new, something both distinctly modern and distinctly Paul McCartney. New is that album.
New is McCartney’s sixteenth solo album (not counting his work with the Wings or the Beatles), and his first since 2007 to feature new, original music. McCartney initially intended to pick one of four producers to work on New, but wound up working with all four on different tracks. The result is a variety of different sounds from modern genres. And, while New still has that familiar McCartney feeling, it seems that the former Beatle is embracing the ever-popular synthesizer-driven EDM genre.
Don’t get me wrong, Paul McCartney isn’t about to DJ at Electric Zoo or anything. But, on the song “Alligator,” McCartney drops into a spacey keyboard section before a climactic build-up into the chorus. Even more notably, the song “Appreciate” opens with a drum machine beat, a backwards guitar solo, and ethereal synthesizer that give the song a haunting, electronic feel to it. Taken out of the context of the album, “Appreciate” is somewhat of a surprising tune. I played it for my roommate, who was definitely surprised to hear McCartney’s voice after the song’s electronic-influenced introduction.
Of course, there are tracks on this album that have that distinct 1970’s McCartney sound. “I Can Bet” falls into this category, a straight-up rock and roll song that sounds like a track from Band on the Run. However, New is a deliberate retooling of the classic McCartney sound for the modern era. This retooling is subtle, coming through in “wobbly” synthesizer tracks, drum machines, and static vocal filters that would make T. Pain proud.
All in all, New is a successful endeavor by one of the most renowned recording artists over the past 50 years. Given McCartney’s recent impromptu public performances in L.A. and N.Y., it is safe to say that McCartney has regained a taste for the excitement of his status. It’s nice to hear him embracing all things New.
–David Melamed (@DMelamz)