New Clear Child is the third and final studio album by A.R. Kane, released in September 1994 on Luaka Bop. It was recorded in London and San Francisco and produced with Chris Cuben-Tatum. The album's closing track, "Sea Like a Child", was released in June as the lead single.
| New Clear Child | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 September 1994 | |||
| Genre | Dream pop, pop-funk | |||
| Length | 38:50 | |||
| Label | Luaka Bop | |||
| Producer | A.R. Kane, Chris Cuben-Tatum | |||
| A.R. Kane chronology | ||||
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Recording
editAfter the "i" album (1989), A.R. Kane's Rudy Tambala purchased a London studio and began producing for other artists, and Alex Ayuli moved to California to pursue other interests. A couple years later, according to Tambala, David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label reached out to the duo and asked if they would be interested in recording a new album. Tambala explained, "so we got together, but I think it wasn't a great experience for either of us in the end. I think we'd grown apart a little creatively, we'd had different experiences." Tambala noted that he and Ayuli wrote songs separately and then brought them into the studio, which contrasted with how the duo had previously worked and which led to friction between them.[1]
Reception
editSimon Reynolds of Spin described the album's musical style as "jazz-tinged pop-funk" and criticized the album's "New Age nursery-rhyme lyrics".[2] Allmusic's Ned Raggett complimented opening track "Deep Blue Breath" but said the album as a whole "simply doesn't cut the mustard compared to the stellar heights of the band's past work".[3] Neil Kulkarni of The Quietus wrote: "You got the sense, listening, that Rudy and Alex were too apart, & consequently the recording process too bitty & piecemeal to make a coherent album."[4] In a review of the album for Option magazine, Bill Meyer wrote that the "languidly crooned vocals, gently insinuating grooves, and smooth arrangements make 'New Clear Child' top drawer make-out music" and that the sparse production separates the album from typical "quiet storm fodder".[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by A.R. Kane
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Deep Blue Breath" | 4:58 |
| 2. | "Grace" | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Tiny Little Drop of Perfumed Time" | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Surf Motel" | 2:35 |
| 5. | "Gather" | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Honey Be (For Stella)" | 3:32 |
| 7. | "Cool as Moons" | 3:44 |
| 8. | "Snow White's World" | 4:52 |
| 9. | "Pearl" | 4:36 |
| 10. | "Sea Like a Child" | 3:10 |
References
edit- ^ Purdom, Tim (13 November 2012). "A love from outer space: dream-pop icons A.R. Kane interviewed". Fact. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide, Vintage, ISBN 978-0679755746.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "'New Clear Child' Allmusic Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ Kulkarni, Neil (11 October 2012). "The Future Came And Went: A. R. Kane Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ Meyer, Bill (1995). "Album Reviews". Option. 1. ISSN 0882-178X.