Understated
2010's Losing Sleep was the former Orange Juice frontman's first release since suffering cerebral hemorrhages in 2005. Understated's predominant lyrical theme is one of triumphant return, and the album feels like a crucial step towards Collins rediscovering his muse.
"What the heck," Edwyn Collins sings, "I'm living now." The indie rock godhead's newest LP is the sound of a man on the mend.
Discover Understated by Edwyn Collins released in 2013. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.
In a near forty-year career, Edwyn Collins has steadfastly tread his own path, seemingly oblivious to the wax and wane of popular culture. When fame has come a’knocking, it’s been on Collins’ terms, the junctures at which his guitar-driven pop has become vogue being pure happenstance.
When an artist releases an album after undergoing an affecting personal tragedy, it becomes all too easy for the reviewer to over-contextualize the record itself and condescend to the afflicted singer with sympathy points-out-of-ten.
ClashMusic: Read a review of the album 'Understated' by Edwyn Collins (Orange Juice, A Girl Like You) out 1st April on the AED record label.
Collins addresses his struggle to recover from two brain haemorrhages – with inspiring results, writes <strong>Dave Simpson</strong>
Edwyn Collins - Understated review: He may be understated, but he must never be underestimated