As obsessed with the moon as supervillains with armies of wandering yellow Skittles at their disposal, Peter Gabriel has tired of teasing listeners for just shy of a year. His latest release in twenty long years, i/o, will come as a surprise to those counting the moon and its cycles – each of which brought out two versions of the same song. Hearing the difference is part of the ploy, seemingly gaslighting the seasoned ears of his music into truly believing there is, in fact, a major difference which warrants listening to both the light and dark sides. Believe it or not – the fact of at least twelve new tracks from a seasoned musician and one-quarter of Genesis is not to be snubbed. He stood firm when the walls of synth were around him, and to the victor goes the spoils, to Gabriel we must go in these final days of the year.
With an exceptional voice still to play with, it is no surprise these tracks are, at the very least, of sincere quality. The Court is still a dip but the tracks to follow – for those who started to wane away after the third single – are a pleasant surprise. The title track is neat and incorporates the title unexpectedly, more where Gabriel and his strong vocals are concerned than anything else. Perhaps this redefined quality playing out over the light-side mixtures is because Gabriel has found himself rooted once more in the technical avenues, diving deep into the specifics of a mixture and being unable to decide on which version is better. Four Kinds of Horses follows this suit, intense instrumentals and an assured Gabriel make for a surreal experience. The wordplay on display throughout and the desire to craft something new – even dangerously independent and fresh as he does on Road to Joy, is clear.
Motions of clarity or meanings behind these tracks do not change from mix to mix. To ask so much of two separate engineers working with the same fabric is too much. But the likes of So Much take a tender spectacle and wrap it around some real and clear laments of time running out. Gabriel appears at peace and provides some of his finest music to date with these infrequent views of the past. Love Can Heal is somewhat of a step down but still holds within it tender mixes, the bright and dark sides equal in strength but lacking the character which defines earlier tracks of i/o. Both sides fizzle out with their final three tracks, This is Home, And Still, and Live and Let Live. There may be differences in flourish and finishing touches – but the bulk of these dark and light mixtures are the same in tone and intention, meaning i/o is an album of two halves with only one side.
Gabriel cannot be chastised for this one. He has shuttered the thought of commercial properties once more and pushed on through to create a moon-based masterclass. For those who stuck with the project the whole way through, picking up the pieces and slotting them into place, more fool you. Here it is all at once and without the weeks of waiting for the moon to line up with the release of classy bits from Gabriel. Gaslight yourself into thinking these are two different versions. Go for it. Taylor Swift does it with her titular versions, why not a man obsessed with the moon too? Gabriel is still of a fine cut, i/o is an exceptional, personal release.
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