Peter Hammill - Singularity - 2006

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Peter Hammill - Singularity - 2006

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Peter Hammill - Singularity - 2006

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Product Description: Peter Hammill has been at it for almost 40 years now, and yet, since the early 2000s, he has been on a new way up, creatively speaking. Clutch (2002) and Incoherence (2004), his previous two studio albums, had both hit high artistic marks, but that is only one of the main reasons why Singularity was so highly anticipated by the fans. It was also the Thin Man's first studio album since remastering his '70s LPs for EMI, his first since the re-formation of his old group, Van der Graaf Generator. Yet, most importantly, especially for a man of words like he is, it was his first studio release since his heart attack two years earlier. Were all the expectations generated by these "firsts" met? Surprisingly, yes. Singularity stands among Hammill's best albums of the past 25 years. He recorded it entirely on his own, playing everything, including drums, something he had not done since 1980's A Black Box. The songs are also significantly darker than on previous albums and integrate more experimental elements, two factors bestowing a certain reminiscence of his late-'70s oeuvre again. Singularity is full of backward textures, abstract sound paintings, and massed choruses that go resolutely beyond the way Hammill was overdubbing his vocals in the past decade. The "weirdness" factor culminates in the closing "White Dot," by far the man's most stunning aural concoction of late. Before reaching that apocalyptic finale, the listener is treated to a number of excellent, more accessible tunes, including two strong rock songs ("Our Eyes Give It Shape," very uplifting, and "Vainglorious Boy," reminiscent of the material found on Roaring Forties, another standout album), a couple of heartfelt ballads (including the moving "Meanwhile My Mother"), and strange midway tracks in "Event Horizon" and "Famous Last Words," which pair up strong songwriting and epic leanings, Hammill's forte since the early '70s. After the guitar-only Clutch and the keyboard-heavy Incoherence, Singularity gets back to a certain balance, adding along the way an experimental vein that must be coming from remastering LPs such as The Future Now and A Black Box. The album clearly looks back on previous accomplishments, but it does so without ever sounding nostalgic – it's taking stock, then looking forward. Highly recommended. ~ François Couture

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Peter Hammill - Singularity - 2006

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It's an album of songs on which Peter plays all the instruments…. Peter's last solo studio recording, Incoherence, was released in 2004, having been completed a day before he had a heart attack. Since then he's been occupied with the Van der Graaf Generator reunion, first in recording Present and then in the run of live shows undertaken in 2005; he was also responsible for remastering the VdGG catalogue. In 2006 Veracious, a set of live duo performances with Stuart Gordon, was released and Peter also remastered the solo CDs which he had recorded for Charisma in the 70s. Little wonder, then, that when he came to write and record Singularity intimations of mortality and considerations of history both public and personal were uppermost in his mind. The main theme here is the long dive down into not being who we were….Perhaps inspired by the early Charisma recordings, Singularity is absolutely a solo record on which Peter sings and plays all instruments alone.

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Peter Hammill - Singularity - 2006

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Review: Firstly, I would refute suggestions that this is Hammill's most accessible work. Like all albums by Hamill and his band Van Der Graaf Generator, this is music that challenges and the music only starts to fit into place with the second and third listenings. After listening to the album 20 times, you might start to feel acquainted with it, but with Hammill's work there is always something new to hear and explore. It is one of the qualities that makes his work so strong and interesting. 'Singularity' is pure Hammill. He has sung, played, produced, processed and engineered everything on this album, taking his long standing independence to its ultimate outcome. This is just the sort of album we have come to expect from Hammill in that it goes to completely unexpected places musically but always pulls everything together in a convincing and cohesive whole. Hammill is a less commercial and more independent Peter Gabriel, with a darkness and depth unrivalled by any other. Words cannot possibly do Hammill's work justice. If you already know Hammill's work and like it, don't hesitate to buy this. If you don't know his work but like to be challenged when you listen, buy this. If you like predictable songs structured from clear verses and choruses with lots of pretty melodies all over the place celebrating how wonderful the world is, don't bother - your place is on the Take That pages instead. As an introduction to Hammill, I would recommend 'Over', which is his strongest album in my opinion, but with the release of 'Singularity', Hammill has maintained his position of having a virtually flawless catalogue of superbly crafted, explorative, and creative albums. Stand out tracks here are 'Famous Last Words' and opener 'Our Eyes Give It Shape'. Highly recommended. ~ Amazon Customer

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Peter Hammill - Singularity - 2006

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Peter Hammill - Singularity - 2006

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