Surprise, No Surprise
Paul Simon’s latest, Surprise was something I think I heard about first from Jason Kottke and had been simmering away as something I had to hear for a while now, mainly for what seemed, after Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints, a natural collaboration with Brian Eno. But while Eno provides well-integrated “soundscapes,” the songs are (just) Paul Simon pop songs, with little of the world music expansiveness of those other albums. Yes, the lyrics are, as always, high-literary, if not outright poetic, and that line about the Golden Retriever poster in “Father and Daughter” made me smile outright, as I’m sure it was intended to, and the music is very good, but that doesn’t make it the same kind of breakthrough Graceland was, but more of a return to form with Eno-ambiance. What I really should have done was listen more carefully in the first place over at paulsimon.com, or, if an Eno project was really my goal, explore more of The Long Now. But I don’t really regret the purchase; Paul Simon’s in good form, and I’ll enjoy listening to this again.