The voice, pen, and conscience of 80's British poppers The Fixx returns with his second solo album, The Returning Sun. Sticking to the basic "record" format of the old guard (when 10 tunes was about all you could fit on a vinyl LP), Curnin's new album is a very succinct and focused effort, and enjoyable as well.
As catchy and accessible (and at times unusual) as many of The Fixx's songs were, it was always Curnin's wry, bold phrases that really drew me into them. He's lost none of this prowess with age, as Curnin explores hope ("We Might Find It", "The Returning Sun"), choice ("Fork In The Road"), despair ("The Future's Not What It Used To Be", "Nothing Is Normal"), hope and despair ("Hope Springs Eternal"), and the inevitability of the futile nature of man ("The World Will Always Turn").
Some of the lyrics cut as sharply as Curnin's best: "Love affairs on cell phones/Replace the risk of human touch/Someone leave me a message/God I miss it all so much."
And: "We think we buck the system/But we're just waving sticks/At a man made monster doing camera tricks/Now another moron becomes a box office hit."
Instrumentally, only a couple of tracks miss the mark, but the title track and "The World Will Always Turn" provide the pop, while "The Future's Not What It Used To Be" and "Nothing Is Normal" bring you back down to Earth. The Returning Sun is a solid and rewarding album.
Track Listing
1 We Might Find It
2 Remember Me When I'm Gone
3 The Returning Sun
4 Falling Apart Together
5 Fork In The Road
6 Hope Springs Eternal
7 The Future's Not What It Used To Be
8 Nothing Is Normal
9 The World Will Always Turn
10 Damned If You Do
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