Even though Perry Farrell didn't disappear in the latter half of the '90s, it sure felt like he had. Lollapalooza dried up not long after he left, his follow-up festival was stillborn, Porno for Pyros never achieved the high profile or respect of Jane's Addiction and when Jane's did reunite in 1997, its companion album and tour were a distant memory a year later. So, he seized the opportunity of silence by laying low, developing a new sound for a new project namely, a solo career. During his self-imposed exile he, like many members of the alt-rock generation, became convinced that electronica was the next bold step forward, so he absorbed the sounds and learned how to make it himself, crossing it with worldbeat and new age spirituality for his ambitious comeback record, “Song Yet to Be Sung”. Part of the problem of working in isolation for a prolonged period of time which he essentially was, even if he worked with a number of different collaborators is that the end product feels somewhat hermetic whenever it's released.
This can be a good thing, since it can help protect an individual vision, which is somewhat true of Song. Farrell certainly has his own brand of mysticism, globe-spanning electronica, and he keeps his focus throughout the record, letting the moods change slowly with the flow of the rhythms. It's easily the most consistent record he's cut since Ritual de lo Habitual, and it has a generous spirit that's brand new to Farrell's music. This all makes for an interesting listen and, if you're coming from a similar vantage, it could be quite compelling. Yet despite the idiosyncratic, individual vision Farrell displays throughout the record, it isn't exactly visionary, especially compared to records released during his prolonged absence from music-making.
No matter its accomplishments, it sounds strangely dated, sharing more with Andrew Weatherall productions from the early '90s than such late-'90s rock-electronica hallmarks as Homogenic. This doesn't discount what Farrell's accomplished here, since this holds its own against Jane's Addiction far more than any Porno for Pyros record, but it feels more like a product of the '90s than a new millennium.
The title track,"Song Yet to Be Sung" was the official song for trailers of the series premiere of Smallville.
Track listing
01. "Happy Birthday Jubilee" (Perry Farrell, Brendan Hawkins, Karl Leiker) - 4:39
02. "Song Yet to Be Sung" (Perry Farrell, Stephen Perkins) - 4:54
03. "Did You Forget" (Perry Farrell) - 4:10
04. "Shekina" (Perry Farrell) - 4:53
05. "Our Song" (Perry Farrell) - 4:21
06. "Say Something" (Perry Farrell, Brendan Hawkins) - 3:45
07. "Seeds" (Perry Farrell) - 3:48
08. "King Z" (Perry Farrell) - 3:31
09. "To Me" (Perry Farrell, Karl Leiker) - 2:59
10. "Nua Nua" (Perry Farrell, Brendan Hawkins, Karl Leiker, Stephen Perkins) - 4:37
11. "Admit I" (Perry Farrell, Karl Leiker, Stephen Perkins) - 4:23
12. "Happy Birthday Jubilee (reprise)" (Perry Farrell, Brendan Hawkins, Karl Leiker) - 2:40
Credits
Perry Farrell - vocals, guitar, harp, drums, keyboard programming
Alex Brown - vocals, background vocals
Max Lavilla, Ray McVeigh, Joel Shearer, Noko, Jennifer Turner - guitar
Dave Aron, Michael Mattioli, Willie Waldman, Maurice Spears - horns
Lonnie Jordan - piano
Patrick Warren - organ, chamberlin
Karl Leiker - drums, programming, keyboard programming
Brendan Hawkins - drums, keyboard programming
Stephen Perkins - drums
DJ Garth, Eric James, Alexis Smith, Marius de Vries, Thomas Johnson - programming
Mad Professor, Maxi Anderson, Monalisa Young - background vocals
Audio Mixers: DJ Garth; Eric James; Greg Collins ; Brendan Hawkins; Alan Moulder; Mad Professor; Perry Farrell; Carmen Rizzo.
Producer Perry Farrell, Krish Sharma, Brenden Hawkins, Marius DeVries, Mad Professor, Karl Leiker
Notes
Recording information: Blue Barn, England; Golden Robot Studios, Beverly Hills, CA.Battery Studios; Grayhound Studios, El Cerrito, CA; Henson Recording, Hollywood, CA; Moutn Moriah Studios, Venice, CA; Record Planet, Sausalito, CA; Village Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Yobel's Way, Venice, CA. Photographer: David LaChapelle. Arranger: Brendan Hawkins. Personnel includes: Perry Farrell (vocals, harp, keyboards, programming); Dave Navarro, Dave Marlot, Noko (guitar); Willie Waldman (horns); Lonnie Jordan (piano); Patrick Warren (Chamberlain, organ); Karl Leiker, Bikki Johnson (bass); JuJu (percussion); Brenden Hawkins, Steve Pagan (programming); Mad Professor (background vocals). Producers: Krish Sharma, Marius De Vries, Mad Professor.
Genre: Alternative Rock, Electronic
Length: 48:34
© 2001 Virgin Records
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