When asking what Kate Bush’s best album is, you will most likely be met with answers praising her career-defining Hounds of Love, the brilliant Never for Ever, or her explosive debut The Kick Inside. But Audio Odyssey is here to sing the praises of a Bush double LP album that rarely gets a look-in, the masterpiece that is Aerial.
Aerial came after a 12-year hiatus where Bush had mostly stayed out of the public eye, so some of the lack of exposure for this album could be attributed to her detachment from the performative aspect of her career. During this break, Bush gave birth to her son, Albert, and motherhood is a theme which is heavily explored in Aerial.
So what makes Aerial so great? Masterful production, experimental lyrics, varied sound profiles, and a comprehensive display of instrumental genius come to mind. Fun fact: the cover of Aerial features a waveform of a blackbird song. The more you know.
Disc one, ‘A Sea of Honey’, sets the tone of the album straight away with ‘King of the Mountain’, the album’s most streamed track. The highlight for me here is the excellent percussion; every bang of the drum is felt so profoundly and heard so coherently thanks to its phenomenal production. Any doubts about this album should be dismissed during this song. Two more tracks from this LP that deserve recognition are ‘Pi’ and ‘How To Be Invisible’. The former has one of the most interesting use of bass I have ever heard, with the chorus utilising it as a melody that carries everything else on its back, whilst the latter is perhaps is the highlight of disc one. ‘How To Be Invisible’ is simply excellent.
Disc two, ‘A Sea of Honey’, is undoubtedly the superior of the two discs. The concept of this continual piece of Bush brilliance is the journey through 24 hours, beginning and ending with the song of birds. The less I say about this staggeringly good LP the better, but I would like to speak a little about ‘Nocturn’, my favourite track from Aerial. There is just something so enchanting about the drum and bass in this track. It’s in-pocket, it’s tight, it’s addicting. And of course, Bush’s vocals compliment it perfectly. If I were to only be allowed to take ten LPs with me to a desert island where all I could do spend the time is listen to music, disc two of Aerial would be a no-brainer. It’s really that good.
If you couldn’t tell, Audio Odyssey loves Kate Bush. Let us know what your thoughts on Aerial are down below and what your favourite Kate Bush album is!
Written by Joshua Herbert.
