Current mood:	calm
Current music:	The Fireman

McCartney’s firehouse special
Paul McCartney has a new album coming out in a few weeks that a lot of folks might overlook because it’s been done as the Fireman, the name he uses for the side projects he co-produces with Youth, the former bassist for Killing Joke. But that would be a shame, because it’s one of the most interesting albums Macca has done in a while.

The first two Fireman albums, back in the ’90s, were instrumental ambient “trance” and electronica dance tracks, and were largely ignored, even by fans. We’ve known for some time now that the new Fireman album would be a departure because it would feature McCartney vocals, but “Electric Arguments,” due out Nov. 18, isn’t just a trance album with singing. It isn’t your typical Macca album, either, falling somewhere between his avant-garde projects and his mainstream studio collections, with several songs that easily could have fit on his past two “regular” albums.

The British press, off-target as usual, have called it a “dance” album, but it’s actually quite diverse stylistically, ranging from mainstream rock to blues to country to pop to folk and, yes, with a couple of tracks that do bear more of a resemblance to the previous Fireman efforts.

I have a detailed review in the new issue of Beatlefan, but to recap briefly:

The album opens with “Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight,” a deliberately paced blues-rocker built around a heavy guitar riff and featuring an extremely raucous Macca vocal. Then he shifts gears immediately with “Two Magpies,” a folk-blues acoustic number.

The album really hits its stride with six straight tracks that would enhance any McCartney album, starting with “Sing the Changes,” a rollicking tune with a wide open, airy feel, echoey vocals and chiming guitars. It would sound great done in concert. Then comes “Traveling Light,” a folky ballad with a haunting flute and a delicate, pretty melody. Macca alternately sings it in a whispery lower register and an almost fragile falsetto. Next is “Highway,” an upbeat classic rock tune with a great bass line and some bluesy harmonica. With its catchy chorus, it could almost be a Wings number, except for the deliberately unpolished, loosey-goosey production. The Fireman goes acoustic again for “Light From Your Lighthouse,” a countryish tune with a gospel-styled chorus. The vocal is interesting: Macca sings it in a gruff voice and backs himself in falsetto. Then comes “Sun Is Shining,” a folk-rock tune with some delightfully melodic bass and a vintage Macca sing-along chorus. And then the album’s piece of classic McCartney pop-rock, “Dance ’Til We’re High,” which has an infectious beat and a gorgeous middle eight and chorus. The layered production on this one, with its strings and pealing bells, calls to mind Phil Spector.

Those are the album’s high points, but the remainder is enjoyable, too. “Lifelong Passion,” the track Macca previously made available as a charity download, is a soothing bit of Indo-Celtic pop. From there, “Electric Arguments” sounds a bit more like what you might expect of a Fireman album with vocals. The nearly 6-minute “Is This Love?” has a hypnotic, trance-like backing, “Universal Here, Everlasting Now” drops a classical-sounding piano phrase into a heavily layered production. And the album’s grand finale, “Don’t Stop Running,” features shimmering acoustic guitars and a catchy hook. It appears to come to an end, but after a couple of minutes of silence you get Macca fooling around on synthesizer.

“Electric Arguments” is an enjoyable, at times challenging blending of McCartney’s usually diverging melodic and experimental sides. It certainly would come as a revelation to anyone who’s dismissed him as just an ex-Beatle or Mr. Silly Love Songs. But even if you haven’t been fond of his noncommercial stuff in the past, you’ll find enough pure Paul here to guarantee repeated plays.

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