More Shades of Whoosh!
Whoosh!, Deep Purple’s upcoming album, is now around the corner. 23 days but who’s counting? Well, actually I am.
In addition to Throw My Bones and Man Alive, two more songs have now been released: The Power of the Moon, exclusively as a physical EP on 20 June, and Nothing at All, on 10 July.
The Power of the Moon — the space song
Being in Iceland, that little speck of volcanic rock smack in the middle of nowhere, I have sadly not been able to obtain a copy of The Power of the Moon EP. Despite exploring various disreputable avenues, I have also not been able to sneak a listen online.
There is however a thirty second clip available on the band’s Facebook page.
From that short sample, I am intrigued. It doesn’t really sound like anything Deep Purple has done before. It’s proggy, with Ian Gillan singing harmony with himself, and has what can only be described as a sci-fi feel. To me, it vaguely recalls guitarist Steve Morse’s side project, Flying Colors. That being said, it is a mere thirty second clip of only one section of the song so there isn’t much to go on.
Of course, I am holding off on a final verdict until the album is out and I can hear the full song. I remain intrigued.
Nothing at All — the pop song
The first thing that struck me about Nothing at All is how similar it is to Sonny and Cher’s I Got You Babe. In the days since hearing the former, I’ve had the latter ringing in my ears. It’s that bouncy shuffle. Strangely enough, this is not a bad thing. It’s not that I don’t like I Got You Babe, I just couldn’t imagine Deep Purple ever doing anything remotely similar — and actually make it work.
It’s poppy with a pleasing, slightly bubbly melody. Except for the distinctly Purplesque guitar and organ flourishes, this song could be from Ian Gillan’s 2009 solo album One Eye to Morocco. Indeed, the back-and-forth between the guitar and organ which would make the late Jon Lord proud. There is a touch of All the Time in the World, from 2013’s Now What?!, in both the lyrics and the song’s feel. In a way it also recalls Anyone’s Daughter from 1971’s Fireball, in the way that it’s a lighthearted sort of tune. It is probably the most unusual Purple song since Haunted and Never a Word from 2003’s Bananas.
For me, the song is decent enough but easily the least significant of the three full tracks I’ve heard. Even the snippet of The Power of the Moon has me more excited. I reckon this is the song I’ll soon be skipping when listening to Whoosh! in its entirety. What I like about Nothing at All is that the band seems to be disregarding any preconceptions about how they should sound. They are beyond giving a damn what is expected of them, caring nothing about what anyone thinks. Nothing at all.
What strikes me about the material that has been released so far is its variety. A hard rock hit, a heavy epic, a proggy space tune and a poppy shuffle. Cool, dramatic, dreamy and jaunty. Whoosh! certainly has the makings of an eclectic and, importantly, fun album.
The countdown continues.
