Music Review: Alison Moyet - The Minutes

Today's Music Review looks at the new album from English singer Alison Moyet, The Minutes.

Album cover to The Minutes

Allow me to begin by saying that before today, I hadn't really listened to Alison Moyet. I know, I know. As a self-professed child of the 80s (I was born in 1989 and I will take full advantage of dubbing myself an 80s child, thank you very much!), I should know of Alison Moyet's work. I did listen to The Vandals off and on when I was in high school and I listen to Yazoo (also known as Yaz in the United States) off and on nowadays. Yet, I never knew much about those bands and didn't explore them further.

Big mistake.

Moyet grew up in the small Essex town of Billericay. By age 16 she had left school to work a number of random jobs, the most notable of which, perhaps, was a stint at tuning pianos (and could possibly hint at her more musical side). In the 70s and 80s she had played with a number of punk bands, including The Vandals.

At age 21, Moyet teamed up with the former singer of Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke, to form the synthpop band Yazoo. While short-lived (Yazoo would breakup after only two albums in 1983), Yazoo served as the spring board for Moyet to launch her solo career from (and things weren't so bad for Vince Clarke, either, as he went on to form The Assembly and Erasure, both groups meeting moderate success).

Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke - Yazoo! Image taken from the Yazoo Last.fm artist page

Moyet released her first solo album in 1984 on CBS Records entitled Alf. The album was a success, earning a number one spot on UK album charts and producing several internationally acclaimed singles, including "Invisible."

The next three albums would prove a bit of a challenge for Moyet - on the one hand, she wanted the freedom to choose what kind of music she produced and didn't want to necessarily make something "radio friendly" just to produce more chart toppers and make loads of money. But, on the other hand, she was under incredible pressure from her record label to make "radio friendly" music, often demanding she re-write and re-record various songs. Due to legal battles with Sony, Moyet did not produce an album for several years following 1994's Essex.

In 2002, Moyet was finally released from contractual obligations with Sony and signed to a new label, Sanctuary Records. This resulted in her first solo album in eight years. The album was, as expected, a commercial success. Additional albums were recorded and released in 2004 and 2007.

The Minutes was released back on May 3rd on London label Cooking Vinyl (who, as a fun fact, were the label Bauhaus used to release their final album, Go Away White, on. Small world). The album debuted at the number five spot on UK album charts, her highest debut since her first solo album in 1984.

Alison Moyet. Image taken from safeconcerts.com

On the whole, The Minutes reminds me of so much of what was good about your more mainstream 80s pop groups. While it has, to me, a throwback to the 80s feel, musically, this album also contains a great mix of modern sound. While I am not very well versed in her prior albums, this doesn't feel like an attempt to simply reproduce Moyet's previous albums and prior successes.

The album opens with "Horizon Flame." In an email sent to fans from Moyet's promotional team, this track is described as "all panoramic strings and icy electronics." The song begins with low electronic backing music that rises before introducing Moyet's vocals. The strings kick in, and for all intents and purposes, do sound a bit panoramic. I would say the description the team gave the song is rather fitting. For a new listener of Moyet's work, the first song is absolutely vital. If it's strong and hooks you, you will naturally want to explore the rest of the album. If it is dull and uneventful, you put the album down and walk away. As you can perhaps tell, I was drawn in. This song, in some regards, reminds me a bit of Depeche Mode, some elements of Peter Murphy's solo works (perhaps a tiny hint of Dust comes through on this one), and something else I can't quite put my finger on. Regardless, I really enjoy this track and find it a great way to open the album.

The third track is the first single from the album, "When I was Your Girl." I'm not entirely sure what the lyrics mean, but they have a dark element to them. The song begins happily enough with a light piano intro. The lyrics are relatively positive ("I didn't know that I would/End where you begin/More beautiful in your skin/No matter of regret"). The song adds in some rock elements and sounds very upbeat, but lyrically, the song seems to take on a darker side ("And then today/I'll be keeping out your way/Every debt they owe I pay/They were never satisfied"). It is possible, given that the music video features Moyet and one of her daughters, that the song is written from the perspective of a mother watching her daughter grow up, wanting to stay out of her way, but thinking back to the days when the daughter was a child and remembering those beautiful moments in time.

The seventh track, "Love Reign Supreme," is slated to be the second single from The Minutes. The track opens with some vocals ("bopping"...literally) and electronic music that reminds me greatly of music from the 80s. The lyrics are fairly poetic and I'm not totally sure what they are getting at, but I can say I like them. The song is rather playful, going from a relatively simplistic electronic sound with a nice beat to cutting out when Moyet sings "When love...reign supreme...in your heart..." before picking up into a dance beat during the chorus. I absolutely love the dynamics and shifts in the music. This is pretty brilliant, honestly.

On the whole, The Minutes is a great mix of synthpop (giving that glorious 80s feel), R&B, pop rock, and even house music. Each track is very strong musically and shows the diversity of power and emotion Moyet can convey through her voice. It's rare for me to find something released more modern that I enjoy, but this album is a clear winner. As they say, better late than never to discover the talent Moyet possesses. Now, can we just get a US tour? Please?

Sound Off! What do you guys think of The Minutes? What is your favorite song from the new album? For those in Europe who live in areas where she will be touring, are you going to see Moyet in concert? What songs are you hoping to hear?


Rating: 5 out of 5 (It's a solid album! I can't really find any faults with it)

More Information: Official Site of Alison Moyet