Many readers may not believe it and disagree, but former Beatle Paul McCartney is alive and well, and still making interesting and relevant music.
With his recent stint as the frontman of Nirvana, experiences on his sold-out tour across the States, Out There, connections with both past and current artists, actors, actresses, and other celebrities, influence from his children, Stella McCartney and James McCartney, and most importantly, his extensive discography with the Beatles, Wings, and his own solo work, McCartney pulls together sounds true to his time and adds technology of today, resulting in an album pleasing to the ears of devoted fans and a newer audience.
The title track, “New”, exemplifies this. McCartney uses loops and other computer generated electronic sounds, but mixes this with his usual subject matter and influences. An example of this is his homage to The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds while creating a multitracked voice ending to “New”. McCartney also combines sounds of his past works and adds in modern influence with his use of layering in “Save Us”. The former Beatle recreates, but reinvents the sound of his work with The Wings and reminds the listener that although he may be 71 years old, he strives to evolve as an artist and avoid recording the same songs and albums repeatedly.
What’s all more interesting are the topics McCartney touches on in his songs on this album. “Early Days” may be the most prominent and thought-evoking song on the album, and maybe even in all of Sir Paul’s discography. He describes experiences the listener may never directly connect to, but may relate to and understand because of our knowledge of pop culture. McCartney expresses his diffuculties throughout his life involving his lack of control of the retelling and remolding of his own “life story” and experiences by the press and the public. He remarks, “Now everybody seems to have their own opinion/Who did this and who did that/But as for me I don’t see how they can remember/When they weren’t where it was at”. Additionally, he asserts, “They can’t take it from me if they tried/I live through those early days/So many times I had to change the pain to laughter/Just to keep from getting crazy”. This song gives the listener a drastically different view on the singer-songwriter and his life during the “Early Days” of The Beatles.
Paul McCartney’s most recent work is extraordinarily impressive due to his ability to jump over the hole many of his contemporaries have fallen into in the past few years while producing music. Sir Paul could have easily played it safe and used the same instruments and method of recording and hired the same producers to create the same songs he had 30/40 years ago, but he challenged the expectations of the public and has remarkably proved that he can still rock hard past retirement age.
