21-02-2020, 10:58
DAVID KNOPFLER ~ Last Train Leaving
![[Image: R-14735020-1580568430-1602.jpeg.jpg]](https://img.discogs.com/8OMvKuDdREHl4LVokr4dLO1Anco=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-14735020-1580568430-1602.jpeg.jpg)
I have had an intermittent fascination for David Knopfler and have persisted in trying to like his stuff ever since hearing his debut solo album Release; without meaning to be insulting and patronising (I don’t, for one minute, think he feels sorry for himself), maybe that’s due to my propensity to support the perceived ‘underdog’. He and big brother Mark may not be communicating with one another, but they have followed oddly similar paths (I’m talking specifically about the folk and storytelling aspects of their writing). In my experience there’s nothing quite like DNA – all those characteristics you never thought would apply to you when a younger, brighter being, make their presence indubitably felt, eventually!
David is starting to sound very gravelly though, and to be perfectly honest, he really doesn’t have a great voice – never did. Neither does MK, but of the two, he certainly has the edge. Odious as comparisons are, they are inevitable, especially in this instance. Must be tough to resolutely continue to create under such a large shadow! DK is the first to say that is not so.
Retrospection abounds and I’m guessing this is David being true to himself whether his music is destined for popular consumption or not; I don’t suppose he’s all that concerned about what the various critics might say but his voice is now properly shot, and not in a Marianne Faithfull kinda way. His songs tend to be more prose-like than hook-laden, this set is decidedly melancholy, he’s a storyteller rather than a consummate songwriter, and I think that’s what ultimately becomes wearing – while there are some lovely bits and pieces, especially musically, and while I do think there’s some charm here which needs time to be properly absorbed and appreciated, the jury’s in – after a second listen, I’ve finally decided I’m not a fan – sorry about that.
He’s an intelligent lyricist, and an extremely capable musician, however, I’d have chosen different tracks as openers and sacrificed several others along the way which make the whole a tad lengthy and as a result, verging on the soporific. (Note to self: ‘I don’t like it’ will convey exactly the same message and take up much less space! Lol!!)
He’s accompanied on this outing by long time collaborator Harry Bogdanovs as well as several other contributors. (I hadn’t realised up to now that he released an album last year too – Heartlands.)
I listened to Last Train Leaving on Spotify – no YouTube tracks available at this stage …
https://open.spotify.com/album/3S634hevZt2co1oPB3I9cB
I have had an intermittent fascination for David Knopfler and have persisted in trying to like his stuff ever since hearing his debut solo album Release; without meaning to be insulting and patronising (I don’t, for one minute, think he feels sorry for himself), maybe that’s due to my propensity to support the perceived ‘underdog’. He and big brother Mark may not be communicating with one another, but they have followed oddly similar paths (I’m talking specifically about the folk and storytelling aspects of their writing). In my experience there’s nothing quite like DNA – all those characteristics you never thought would apply to you when a younger, brighter being, make their presence indubitably felt, eventually!
David is starting to sound very gravelly though, and to be perfectly honest, he really doesn’t have a great voice – never did. Neither does MK, but of the two, he certainly has the edge. Odious as comparisons are, they are inevitable, especially in this instance. Must be tough to resolutely continue to create under such a large shadow! DK is the first to say that is not so.
Retrospection abounds and I’m guessing this is David being true to himself whether his music is destined for popular consumption or not; I don’t suppose he’s all that concerned about what the various critics might say but his voice is now properly shot, and not in a Marianne Faithfull kinda way. His songs tend to be more prose-like than hook-laden, this set is decidedly melancholy, he’s a storyteller rather than a consummate songwriter, and I think that’s what ultimately becomes wearing – while there are some lovely bits and pieces, especially musically, and while I do think there’s some charm here which needs time to be properly absorbed and appreciated, the jury’s in – after a second listen, I’ve finally decided I’m not a fan – sorry about that.
He’s an intelligent lyricist, and an extremely capable musician, however, I’d have chosen different tracks as openers and sacrificed several others along the way which make the whole a tad lengthy and as a result, verging on the soporific. (Note to self: ‘I don’t like it’ will convey exactly the same message and take up much less space! Lol!!)
He’s accompanied on this outing by long time collaborator Harry Bogdanovs as well as several other contributors. (I hadn’t realised up to now that he released an album last year too – Heartlands.)
I listened to Last Train Leaving on Spotify – no YouTube tracks available at this stage …
https://open.spotify.com/album/3S634hevZt2co1oPB3I9cB
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson
