Marc Almond has been an understated yet constantly brilliant force on the pop scene. Soft Cell is just the start. From velvet seating on Worship Me Now! to the baroque structure heard on his latest album, I’m Not Anyone does well to play down the powerful work Almond is responsible for. His druidism has affected his lyrical style and within the usual sharp turns, there is a religious prosperity. It can be heard on opener I’m the Light though it is not to do with divine sightings but the fortitude found in belief of the beyond. These are the ruminations of a person closer to those astral plains, as Almond puts it, than others. And while the warm glow of I’m Not Anyone has all the tremendous stylings of a baroque piece; it has the rebellious charm he swore off when taking an OBE.
Those fires of carnage and holding mankind to account have not dimmed. I’m Not Anyone is filled with appraisals of the next generation, and the generation after. Reflective bits and pieces are found within. Almond sounds fond of reflection but in it is not the usual desire to be taken back to the memories themselves but the locations. As if a return to where inspiration or love-struck can rekindle it in the here and now. I’m Not Anyone has an instrumental charm to back up these wilder moments of creative charm. No solutions show themselves but Almond presents the world as a terrible place to be. That it is, but the point of the album is to make do with those terrors, to find the light so clearly guiding Almond in this latest collection of bright and powerful songs. Fluttering lyricisms are backed by a voice which is as strong as it was during the Soft Cell days.
Almond uses this to his advantage, of course. I’m Not Anyone is as dependent on the slick, noire-like sound of Gone With the Wind (Is My Love) as it is on his vocal range. There is an expectation for artists of this vintage to rely on soppy tones, and while I’m Not Anyone is filled with those, they are sincere. Almost James Bond-like in their nostalgic flavour and yet Almond maintains his place as a sensational contemporary artist. Brevity benefits this collection of songs and the lighter tones taken up by Elusive Butterfly feel like nice breaks from the damned and harsh opinions of the world around Almond. He is not wrong; it can just make for tough and sobering listens. Despite the fulfilment heard in the title track, Almond maintains an affection with the world around him which has turned to disgust after seeing the state of it.
His reaction to those moments in time, the bottled-up memories we cling to of happier times, is a way of ignoring the horrors around us. I’m Not Anyone hints at this as a message for its listeners, to pick themselves up and open their eyes to the decline and fall. But within is an effective and grand experience which moves beyond the comments on life. There is a sense of the theatrics to I’m Not Anyone which greatly benefits the instrumental array at Almond’s disposal. Personable, enjoyable and a baroque powerhouse, this latest piece is from the sharp hands of a man proud of his work, of where it has taken him. That much is clear, and it is well-balanced with worries of the future, not for himself, but for those listening in.
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