UK 13-track vinyl LP vinyl co-produced with Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Travis and Beck) and featuring the single 'Fine Line', presented in gatefold picture sleeve and includes 4 limited edition art prints! Chaos And Creation In The Back Yard, Paul McCartney's 20th studio recording since The Beatles, marks an end to a nearly four-year hiatus since his last studio recording, 2001's platinum certified 'Driving Rain'. The new 13-track album is co-produced by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Travis and Beck) and McCartney, and was recorded in London and Los Angeles over the course of the past two years. Parlophone. 2005.
Sir Paul is an elder statesman now, but
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard finds him in considered and tastefully restrained form, penning songs worthy of his finest hour. McCartney crafts this collection of songs with exquisite balance, lining up haunting chimes and heartfelt lyrics ("Riding to Vanity Fair") alongside pounding "Hey Bulldog"-esque chords and eerily Beatles-ish multitracked vocals ("Promise to You Girl," "Fine Line") and, most impressively, distinctively new yet timeless gems of songcraft ("Anyway," "Jenny Wren"). Emotionally,
Chaos and Creation manages to avoid being mired in oversentimentality, while retaining a powerful, understated sincerity. Poignant though it is, however, the record is essentially positive and hopeful: Sir Paul's playfulness beams through in his intonation, which picks up a line such as "It's not right/In your life/Too much rain" and breathes life and optimism into its words. "English Tea" completes the package, an unrepentantly twee serving of Anglo-nostalgia with recorder.
Chaos and Creation in the Backyard displays the full range of McCartney's inimitable talent, presenting listeners with one of his finest solo albums.
--Jonti Davies
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