Paul McCartney is, apparently, still going; and not just being rolled out to wheeze ‘Hey Jude’ at national events: no, he’s actually making new music. In fact it turns out he’s been reeling off albums once every few years since pretty much forever, not that anyone’s really noticed.
‘Appreciate’ is the latest single off his most recent album, New… and it might just be enough to justify Macca’s continued presence in the music world. It’s still just about recognisable as Sir Paul (there’s a definite psychedelic-era Beatles vibe here), but there’s also something different going on. McCartney seems to have adopted a muffled, more alternative sound, not unlike, of all people, Radiohead. There are crunchy electronic elements and a surprisingly aggressive chorus—all in all an unexpectedly pleasant experience.
The track is accompanied by a visually impressive music video in which Sir Paul plays an exhibit in the “Museum of Man” in 3116 who is brought back to life by a robot—an odd choice perhaps for a man who looks like he’s died and been re-animated three times already anyway—but overall this is definitely something worth checking out.
7/10
