Review Summary: No one does it like Kate Bush.
Born in Bexleyheath in 1958, Kate Bush has always been predominantly known for her eclectic music – which, to put it plainly, is an understatement. Famously discovered by David Gilmour in 1978, she released her debut album “The Kick Inside” the same year. Though subject to critical acclaim, Bush’s following album, “Lionheart”, was generally felt to be much inferior to its predecessor – with people being generally uncertain of her image, especially as she was nineteen years of age. The seven years after “The Kick Inside” would become important for Bush, who would release three of her most comprehensive and eccentric albums to date. “Never for Ever” was released to mild critical acclaim, and “The Dreaming” initially to a mixed reception with poor overall sales.
Disappointed with this, Bush set about creating another album, beginning with building her own studio behind her family’s barn. Bush had recorded demos for tracks to be used on her next album, though had remixed and mastered them, taking a year to do so. Having been out of the limelight for a while, Kate Bush surprised everyone with her fifth studio album released in 1985 – “Hounds of Love”.
“Hounds of Love” begins with one of Bush’s most famous songs, “Running Up Thar Hill”, which was released as a single before the album. The new-wave song surprised previous critics of hers, following a period where she seemed to disappear from music. “Running Up That Hill”, as described by Bush herself, speaks of the possibility of a man and a woman “swapping places” – which is described in the lyrics as “making a deal with God”. Though originally titled so, Bush was forced to change the title to “Running” upon hearing of the possibility that it wouldn’t be played in many countries. It was one of the highlights of this album, though remains a pinpoint in Bush’s success.
“Running Up That Hill” is followed by four other songs of a similar genre. Title track “Hounds of Love” opens with quotes from horror film “Night of the Demon”, though proceeds as one of art rock’s finest singles. Talking about the possibility of falling in love, the single refers to the feeling of being “chased” by the “hounds of love”. The song, like the following two – “The Big Sky” and “Mother Stands for Comfort” - relies heavily on synths and early drum machines, sounding somewhat dated now but nonetheless moving.
“Cloudbusting” concludes side one as a reference to “cloudbuster” Wilhelm Reich. Bush was inspired to write this upon reading Reich’s son’s memoir, “A Book of Dreams”. The song has a progressive orchestral section providing the background music, giving it a somewhat “Irish” feel – with more layers being added as the song progresses. At a rather lengthy five minutes ten second, Bush herself sings a refrain late on in the song, giving it a rather trance-like effect. “Cloudbusting” remains one of Bush’s most “free” songs – though lengthy, it is dissimilar from any of her other songs, with a rather “free” feel.
Side one, as a whole, seems to strike a balance between being uplifting (“Cloudbusting”, “Hounds of Love”, “The Big Sky”) and being more dark, or sombre (“Running Up That Hill”, “Mother Stands for Comfort”). The side beautifully matches the song’s lyrics to the instruments used to create emotional masterpieces – the likes of which are highlighted in tracks like “Hounds of Love”. Essentially, the side excels at showing the best of Kate Bush’s song writing.
Side two, however, is where “Hounds” really starts to take shape. The album, essentially, is split into two halves. Side one, “Hounds of Love”, is Kate Bush pop – the best of her chart-friendly singles. Side two, however, takes a darker turn, into an almost avant-garde sound. Opening with ballad “And Dream of Sheep”, Bush immediately sets a different tone with the second side of the album – no synths, no drum machines – just her voice and a piano. It is a melancholy number, one of Kate Bush’s most delicate songs.
“The Ninth Wave” continues with “Under Ice”, and the album changes pace again. “Under Ice” feels very dark, and – much like the rest of side two – is very disconnected from the first half. “Under Ice” speaks of being frozen. The song uses the string section to build atmosphere, using a much more staccato sound this time. “Waking the Witch” opens itself as a piano ballad, though later hits with a much more evil sound. Kate’s vocals mixed with a rather demonic voice give for one of her most eccentric and bizarre songs to date.
Side two is eerier, edgier and more atmospheric than side one. “The Ninth Wave” exits from a decidedly more lively side one into a more dreamlike sound. There are certain changes in mood, with “Watching You Without Me” being much more relaxed than “Waking the Witch”, but overall, there is a hypnotic sound and feel about the side. This is amplified by the penultimate track, “Hello Earth”. It is an odd track, at six minutes long, and seems to change pace several times – Kate’s voice being used in the most vibrant part, and an odd chant in the more melancholy parts. It is weird, and unlike anything you’ve ever heard before – but it’s hauntingly beautiful.
Two tracks seem to be out of place here, however. “Jig of Life” comes between two of the most entrancing tracks. Being a nod to Irish Folk, it is vibrant and lively, with large parts not even using Kate’s vocals, just a violin. The second, “The Morning Fog”, closes “The Ninth Wave” in a sound very different from the rest of the tracks. It is much more pop, like the first half of the album, and really is a metaphor from the departure of the dream-like state back to life. Though subjectively different, it really is one of Bush’s more mature tracks and is a fantastic conclusion to the album
Kate Bush had never really followed music’s “guidelines”. For example - her debut single, “Wuthering Heights”, has two key changes, along with multiple changes of time signature – and that’s not even mentioning its source material – a novel Bush had admitted to not reading. However, this is really where she triumphs over other musical artists. “Hounds of Love” is different, granted. There are noticeable differences between the album’s two halves and the emotions. However, Bush’s finesse, her creativity, are really what makes this album so incredible. “Hounds of Love” is odd, it’s emotional it ranges from being vigorous to being drowsy – but that’s what makes it a timeless classic.
