Paul Simon
Stranger to Stranger

Album Release Date: June 3rd, 2016

Paul Simon is one of the greatest living American singer-songwriters, as evidenced by his brilliant albums Graceland (1986), Rhythm of the Saints (1990), and countless classic songs throughout his over 50-year-long career. He's matched or topped only by the likes of John Prine, Tracy Chapman, and the king Bob Dylan. But what distinguishes Simon from many of his contemporaries is the depth of his musicianship, branching out from the soft folk-rock of his early career to encompass multiple genres and world music influences ranging from South African to Brazilian, Puerto Rican, Cajun, and more. He's also one of the better male singers of his generation, focusing on caliber of voice and pitch-perfect harmony as much as other aspects of his music. Stranger to Stranger, his 13th solo studio release, contains some of the same qualities that we've come to know and love about Paul Simon while also exploring new, experimental directions.

The album opens with blackly humourous "The Werewolf", wherein Simon sings "Milwaukee man led a fairly decent life / Made a fairly decent living / Had a fairly decent wife / She killed him—ah, sushi knife / Now they're shopping for a fairly decent afterlife". Another line cautions "You better stock up on water, canned goods off the shelves / And loot some for the old folks who can't loot for themselves". Some rather dark lyrics are contrasted by a minimalist, percussion-focused, electronic sound, and a fundamentally lighthearted tone, as Simon goes on to say "I'm not complaining / Just the opposite my friend". So, superficially the song seems to emulate a pessimistic attitude but is actually perhaps satirizing cynical worldviews, as Simon's narrator ultimately exhibits acceptance of an imperfect reality by way of an ironic sensibility. This tone continues throughout the album, with songs that alternate between tender sincerity and jokey playfulness.

The second track "Wristband" carries on the sound established in the first song with similarly unembellished, rhythm-heavy music. Simon sings of stepping outside of a venue he's about to perform at, to smoke a cigarette—only to be locked out and denied re-entry without a wristband. It seems to be a straightforward, funny story, until the last verse: "The riots started slowly with the homeless and the lowly / Then they spread into the heartland towns that never get a wristband / Kids that can't afford the cool brand whose anger is a short-hand for / 'You'll never get a wristband, and if you don't have a wristband then you can't get through the door'". This suggests that maybe the song is a metaphor for something such as class, with the wristband representing privilege.

Stripped-down rhythmic tendencies continue on "Street Angel" and "In a Parade", before moving to a poignant love song with title track "Stranger to Stranger". Spiritual love ballad "Proof of Love", with its layered soundscape, is reminiscent of Rhythm of the Saints-era Paul Simon, and "Cool Papa Bell" also sounds like characteristic, vintage Simon. Inspired by James "Cool Papa" Bell, an American baseball player in the 1920s to '40s who is considered by many to be the fastest man to ever play the game, it's actually less about the baseball player and more so an optimistic ditty in which Simon further displays the theme of bucking complacency and embracing life's pleasures. And a couple of short, mellow instrumental tracks ("The Clock" and "In the Garden of Edie") are both largely dismissible on their own but contribute to the album's texture as interludes that add space to its somewhat experimental feel. The original release of Stranger to Stranger is a satisfactory 11 tracks, but the deluxe edition contains 5 more, including the somber, acoustic "Horace and Pete" (the theme song for Louis C.K.'s web series of the same name), and a duet with 1950s doo-wop master Dion has the two crooning a poetic homage to their city in album highlight "New York is My Home".

Simon's instrument of choice, guitar, is absent on much of the album, instead focusing on percussion and electronic instrumentation—reflective of his apparent growing interest in synthesizers and computer music software programs like Pro Tools. He also employs custom-made instruments like Cloud-Chamber Bowls and the Chromelodeon, both inventions of late composer Harry Partch. Simon remarked in a Rolling Stone interview, "Partch said there were 43 tones to an octave and not 12. He had a totally different approach to what music is and had to build his own instruments so he could compose on a microtonal scale. That microtonal thinking pervades this album". Simon plays over a dozen distinct instruments on the album, and the recording credits list over 30 contributing musicians—a fascinating notion considering the album's overall raw, refined sound. But many of them play only one or two simple percussion instruments, such as hand claps or maracas, reinforcing the album's emphasis on unique rhythms. The drumbeats frequently manifest an electronically-generated echo quality, laying the foundation for melodies that resonate with ethereal rhythmic euphony. It all makes for a refreshing work—streamlined yet sophisticated—reminding us of Simon's musicality as an artist continually unafraid to explore new directions, even at this late stage in his career.

Paul Simon's voice is as good as ever, sounding virtually the same as thirty years ago. But how much of this is due to studio computer enhancement is not entirely clear, judging by his somewhat more crackly and occasionally tense singing voice at the Democratic National Convention in July 2016. Or maybe he just had a cold that day. In any case, casual pop music listeners or fans of Simon's earlier work may not be super enthused about the album's decidedly stripped-down, minimalist, electronic, and unusual rhythm-based inclinations. But for the serious music listener who likes to be marginally challenged and exposed to new thematic and aural dimensions, Stranger to Stranger won't disappoint.
• Nik Dobrinsky / Boy Drinks Ink
August 7th, 2016