Released: January 20
For his solo debut ‘Radio Songs’, Dave Rowntree explores a musical landscape through the lens of the wireless.
The Blur drummer’s first long-player outside of the band celebrates his love of the airwaves across 10 electronic numbers that veer away from the group’s signature sound for an altogether unique listening experience.
“The idea of ‘Radio Songs’ is me spinning through the dial,” he explains. “It sounds like you’ve got a radio tuned to some static and you spin the dial, and the song pops out of it. And then you spin the dial again, and the song dissolves back into the static.”
Opener and lead track Devil’s Island is, according to Dave, set in the seventies – back when his love of music began – and serves as a reminder of the time that has passed between then and now.
That sense of nostalgia is present across the largely mid-tempo set, both musically and in the lyrics, with the album featuring vocals from Dave along with guest appearances from Juliyah.
Downtown sees the star ‘dream a dream of yesterday’, for example, while on Tape Measure he reflects upon his own legacy, asking: ‘Look at my life, measure my time / What have I done?’
It’s a departure not only from the music Dave’s become known for, but also the classic pop format, as ‘Radio Songs’ veers away from the verse-chorus structure in favour of a number of ambient moments that offer respite from what’s by all accounts a heavy listen. Meanwhile, numbers such as Machines Like Me lean not only into the soundscape of the record, but also Dave’s music-making history.
However, the band is present in spirit: HK was written as a love letter to Hong Kong while the group toured Asia, while 1000 Miles deals with life on the road as a touring musician while his family remains at home.
It makes for a compelling listen and while ‘Radio Songs’ may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s a creative triumph on Dave’s part that celebrates not only his love of music, but a side to his sound that rarely gets to be heard publicly.
‘Radio Songs’ is available now.
READ MORE: Dave Rowntree shares the secret to Blur’s success: ‘It’s all about writing good songs’
