Secret Meeting score: 70
by Joseph Purcell
“Each record I make is more of an amalgamation of who I am- the more I do this, the more I trust myself, and the closer I get to making what I imagine in my head.” John Grant, 2018.
Grant’s musical journey has been anything but straightforward. After his early work in The Czars, a five year hiatus followed whereby he announced he had abandoned music. But from this came his touching solo debut, Queen of Denmark, soon followed by the synth balladry of Pale Green Ghosts, and a top five UK entry with last album, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure. All this while battling with addiction, health, love and fulfilment within relationships.
His remarkable ability to concoct poignant, filthy ballads, channelled by his inner turbulence, anxiety and strife, sets him apart as a quite remarkable musician. Yet, to this point, he has yet to deliver a long play of complete sustained brilliance.
On his fourth solo LP, Love Is Magic, Grant once again enlists the help of Ben Edwards, of electro trio Wrangler, who together with Grant and Paul Alexander of Texan indie heroes, Midlake, share production duties. But do they find the balance he is striving for?
Love is Magic is scattered with moments that illustrate the prowess of Grant as a uniquely talented musician. Lead single, He’s Got His Mother’s Hips, is an eighties pop nugget, and is Grant at his finest; it is a song jammed full of swagger and neck breaking beats that induce fun, while providing the platform for Grant to level his disgust at the misogynistic male privilege. Likewise, closer, Touch and Go, is breathtaking. The vocal is heartwarming and his words verbalise his emotional turmoil from the core.
Unfortunately, the equilibrium is not always evident. Smug Cunt, while absolutely lyrically relevant in its charge against entitled male filth, is on the whole difficult to digest- packed with ideas that ultimately become overbearing. As is opener, Metamorphosis, which in one encapsulates Grant’s career to date: jammed with madness and freedom, but a shape shifter that morphs without constraints. In many ways it is a magnificent affair of pomp and glitz – travelling from synth pop heaven to a majestic spacious ballad. But, by the third minute, it somewhat overpowering. Brilliant yet flawed. Inspirational, yet at the same time a confusing overload on the senses.
Grant is a wonderful musician, and Love Is Magic overflows with ideas and creativity. Stripped back to its core, it could be a wonderful record. But, again, it feels like a missed opportunity. The erratic nature of Grant is what makes his music so special, but at the same time it’s what makes his records so exasperating. He teeters so close to being lauded a genius, but one feels that only when he ultimately trusts himself will we get the masterpiece that he undoubtedly capable of.
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