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Mashing genres is always a dicey proposition. Most attempt fail miserably, either by falling into cliches of either genre or end up enhancing the worst of each. However, if an artist successfully avoids the pitfalls the result can be amazing. “Electric Arguments”, the most recent album by The Fireman, is a great example of the magic that can happen when an artists takes the skills learned from years of working within a genre and applies them to another genre, creating a seemless fusion of the two, and as a result, creating something totally new. What makes the accomplishment even more amazing is that the artist behind The Fireman name, the man who’s successfully blended rock music with electronica techniques is…
Paul McCartney. That’s right, the cute Beatle himself. Master of “silly love songs”. Obviously after his tenure with The Beatles McCartney was no stranger to experimenting with technology and avant-garde recording techniques, but by pairing himself with a leader in Britain’s ambient community he was able to catch up on the latest tricks. Youth is a bassist and producer, was at the forefront of the electronica scene. Working together they put out a mysterious album in 1993 with a plain red cover and a curious title, Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest. The album was released under the name The Fireman, and McCartney’s involvement was not revealed. The music consisted of McCartney songs sliced and diced by Youth into ambient dance tunes.
The album didn’t get much attention until fans started to figure out what was going on. But even then, in typical McCartney fashion, he wasn’t talking.
Fireman didn’t resurface until 1998, with the release of Rushes. It was a more collaborative effort between McCartney and Youth, and received a lot critical praise. It further pushed the duo into electronica. Still, McCartney wasn’t talking, and the duo stayed out of the spotlight for over a decade.
Finally in 2008 Paul broke his silence, and the badly-kept secret was confirmed. McCartney revealed the partnership behind The Fireman in the lead up to the release of their third album, Electronic Argument. This effort sees McCartney coming back closer to his roots, being a one-man-band. Youth lends the production expertise he’s learned over 20 years working with artists like Tom Jones, Kate Bush, and Art of Noise. And the result is McCartney’s best album in decades.
“Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight”
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With elements of harmonica blues, field hollers, and a strong call-and-response structure, “Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight” should be a classic blues tune. But Youth’s production elevates it to something new, while retaining the raw feelings of the blues.
“Light from Your Lighthouse”
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Moving from the blues to country, bluegrass, and gospel, McCartney and Youth prove they can put a new spin on any genre that comes along.
Videos
“Highway”
“Sing the Changes”
Recording the album
Links
Buy Electric Arguments
