POPtical Illusion
Not for the first time in his career John Cale gives us music that is as much challenging as it is approachable on POPtical Illusion
John Cale's 18th album finds him still tricking audiences with pop songs whose lyrics hint at something much deeper and darker below the surface.
Given his accomplished track record and the way he has been quietly influencing rock ‘n’ roll for decades, John Cale has to be the least famous famous rocker still going strong today.
John Cale – POPtical Illusion album review: The music might be lighter, but Cale is still furious
Each of the songs on John Cale’s ‘Poptical Illusion’ feels like a kaleidoscope of sound that ebbs and flows.
POPtical Illusion by John Cale album review by Greg Walker for Northern Transmissions. The multi-artist's LP is now out via Domino Records
Cale creates a sense of hope as he sets hard-won musical wisdom alongside dreamlike reflections in songs with synths, noise and hip-hop grooves
At 81, John Cale, an immensely prolific, wide-ranging and innovative musician, continues to take risks, making music that may not always be instantly appealing, but always true to an artist’s authentic path. Hot on the heels of Mercy (2023), in which he collaborated with a number of off-centre cutting-edge talents, he has produced another album full of surprises and yet immediately recognisable as his own work.