Tim Burgess opens I Love the New Sky, his first full-blown solo album since 2012's Oh No I Love You, with "Empathy for the Devil" -- a song that's not only a punning salute, it's a statement of purpose. The world may be a mess in 2020, but Burgess is choosing compassion over fear, a big-hearted notion for the age of Trump and Brexit. While I Love the New Sky isn't overtly political, there is certainly a message in how it presents a world without musical borders. Too young and too steeped in acid house to be a hippie, ...
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Tim Burgess opens I Love the New Sky, his first full-blown solo album since 2012's Oh No I Love You, with "Empathy for the Devil" -- a song that's not only a punning salute, it's a statement of purpose. The world may be a mess in 2020, but Burgess is choosing compassion over fear, a big-hearted notion for the age of Trump and Brexit. While I Love the New Sky isn't overtly political, there is certainly a message in how it presents a world without musical borders. Too young and too steeped in acid house to be a hippie, Burgess nevertheless comes across as an accepting, loving sort on I Love the New Sky, embracing everything from classic rock and elastic psychedelia to sunny electronica. As a quintessential crate digger, Burgess doesn't necessarily rely upon an especially contemporary collection of references, but the way he repurposes and reassembles old sounds is fresh, even modern. I Love the New Sky whirls through a number of ideas and styles, often juxtaposing different eras within the same track, always keeping his eye on inclusion and cheer. The essential generosity of Burgess' spirit helps keep I Love the New Sky buoyant during the rare moment it drifts a bit too far into cheerful trippiness. And those moments are so rare, they're hardly noticed. After all, it's hard to be mad at an album that can find positivity in a time as weird and unsettling as 2020. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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