John Cale still busy at 82 with new album 'POPtical Illusion'

It's been not even two years since John Cale came out with his highly-praised album "Merci" after a ten-year break. And now, on June 14 he will already be issuing a new album with the playful title "POPtical Illusion."

The thought does come to mind that this could be leftover material from the last record brought by this multi-instrumentalist and Velvet Underground co-founder.

"Merci" could easily have marked the end of an impressive musical career. On this atmospheric, ambient sound journey, Cale brought together younger colleagues such as Weyes Blood, Laurel Halo and the Fat White Family, paid tribute to deceased companions and sang about all the topics that had been burning on his mind to date - from Trump to Covid to climate change. You'd think that says it all.

Now, less dystopia and more pop

But there are 13 songs on "POPtical Illusion" and all of them once again represent the potpourri of the legendary avant-gardist, although all in all it seems less dystopian than his 17 previous albums. Then again, this album is not entirely without doom and fury. That would also be atypical for Cale.

However, the music pioneer has dispensed with guests on his latest effort. He wraps his lyrical, life-orientated and sometimes angry lyrics all on his own in soundscapes of spherical electro beats, delicate organs and a pinch of punky guitar.

The album starts with the atmospheric and elegantly elegiac song "God Made Me Do It (Don't Ask Me Again)," followed by the light and poppy "Davies and Wales." In the album's first single, "How We See the Light," things become conciliatory, hopeful, almost tender, when the 82-year-old Cale sings, in a firm voice: "It's a lot like magic/It's a lot like friendship/It's the best of everything/Everything I've found."

Reminiscent of his punk period as a producer

With "Shark-Shark," the second single release, there are raw, punk guitar sounds and pounding, thumping beats that make you want to move. It's a nice reminiscence of old times, when he produced albums for bands such as Squeeze, Siouxsie And The Banshees or the successful debut albums by The Stooges ("The Stooges" in 1969) and Patti Smith ("Horses" in 1975), which are considered classics.

"Sometimes you write a song purely for a mood," Cale explains in a press statement. "Shark-Shark has two versions - both a nod to finding humour in music. When you’re feeling too much of the real world, the best diversion is something that puts a grin on your face. I don’t know how Abby & team kept this shoot together - being ‘unserious’ was a lot of fun!" Cale has achieved this perfectly with this piece and makes "Shark-Shark" a highlight of the album.

The Welshman has repeatedly emphasised over the course of his career - which has spanned more than six decades - that he has no desire for musical stagnation and repetition. "POPtical Illusion" may not be avant-garde, but the album is nevertheless suitable as the (possible) culmination of a rich musical life. And whether this is leftover material from the previous album, for which Cale took more than a decade, is ultimately irrelevant.