Artist: Tears For Fears
Title: The Tipping Point (Super Deluxe Edition)
Genre: New Wave / Synth Pop
Release Date: 25th February 2022
Label: Concord Music Group
Album Review
TEARS FOR FEARS is probably one of the strangest bands from the 80s. The story and carrier of this duet is incomparable to any others. Splits, love and hate relationships, reformation, tensions… not to mention one of the lowest productivities (four albums until now as a duet, with two more recorded by Roland on his own). All of this leading to absolute masterpieces albums. Having said that, the band has been very active since reforming in the early 2000s.
Between the last album, ‘Everybody Loves A Happy Ending’, and this new release, the duet has toured almost non-stop around the world, and although having not release any new studio albums, a lot of new tracks were released here and there: ‘Floating Down The River’ & ‘What Are We Waiting for?’ On the 2006 live album, ‘Ready Boys & Girls EP’ and two unreleased tracks on a best of in 2018 as well as some solo stuffs. Anyway… ‘The Tipping Point’ is the first real studio album since 2004 and it’s certainly one of the best albums they’ve released since - personal opinion here - ‘Songs From The Big Chair’.
‘The Seeds Of Love’ is certainly a masterpiece (songs, melodies, production, arrangement) but it never was to me 100% TEARS FOR FEARS. They moved away from the synth-oriented sound and this extraordinary talent of singing the saddest songs upon great melodies. In that sense, ‘The Tipping Point’ is a “back to our DNA” album. After a slow and moody start with the folk number ‘No Small Things’, the real thing really starts with the eponym track, ‘The Tipping Point’. Long intro, huge synth sounds, heroic chorus designed for stadiums, harmonies between Curt’s & Roland’s voices like we haven’t heard in a while. Lyrics are sad, like most of the album, inspired by Roland’s wife passing away, while the music lifts you up.
‘Long, Long, Long Time’ follows up with Curt taking the lead vocals. And by the way, this is one of the key changes on this album. Curt sings on four songs, five with the bonus tracks. Hadn’t happened since ‘The Hurting’. And it’s a typical Curt song. Smooth vocals, moody atmosphere. The chorus could make you think of ‘Woman In Chains’. Maybe because Carina Round who toured with the band in 2016 and 2019, performing ‘Woman In Chains’ live with the guys, is duetting with Curt? Another Curt numbers follows with the 3rd and latest single ‘Break The Man’, a song dealing with patriarchy… and it’s another chorus designed to be sing along on tour. The production is splendid and vocals are incredible. It’s hard to believe Curt is 60+ with such a candid and pure voice.
Roland’s back with another potential hit: ‘My Demons’. To sum it up: THE song, THE sound every DEPECHE MODE fan is waiting for since ages (keep dreaming by the way, this will never happen again). Powerful, contained rage, big drums, great synth hook, stadium chorus, atmospheric breaks here and there. ‘Rivers Of Mercy’ takes us back to mid-tempo and clearly closer to ‘Woman In Chains’ with a touch of Peter Gabriel’s atmosphere - it’s documented that TFF are huge fans of Gabriel. Carina Round provides some other vocals, perfectly mixed with Curt’s and Roland’s. And as per Curt, the voice of Roland is still incredibly preserved and as pure as the first day.
Probably one of the toughest one follows: ‘Please Be Happy’. Initially a song Roland posted on Soundcloud soon after his wife passing, the song has been re-recorded by Curt. And this one is probably the greatest symbol on the incredible friendship the two men has developed over the last four years. As many said, it “only” took them 40 years to become the best friends on earth. Back to the song… it’s a prayer to the beloved one to be happy instead of drowning into melancholy and alcohol. A song obviously too hard to sing for Roland… and asking Curt to take over is certainly one of the biggest signs of friendship and respect.
‘Master Plan’ brings back the souvenir of the hit ‘Sowing The Seeds Of Love’ with its BEATLES alike drum rolls and orchestral parts. A song about dealing with pain. ‘End Of Night’, another uplifting song, could have been an ‘Elemental’ track (kind of ‘Brian Wilson Said’ with more synths). The standard edition ends up with a re-recording of ‘Stay’, a Curt number recorded for the 2018 compilation. A nice mid-tempo electronica song that deals with the questions Curt asked himself about his future in the band… Obviously, to ‘Stay’ was the right choice.
The Super Deluxe Edition (2,000 copies) offers three additional tracks, far from being just fillers. ‘Secret Location’ is a Synth Pop hit with a touch of PET SHOP BOYS. While most bands would have included it in the album and certainly released it as a single, TFF considered it great, but not fitting in the flow of the album and the story told. Then, ‘Let It All Evolve’ is one of the rare songs bringing us back to the ‘Raoul & The Kings Of Spain’ era, very guitar oriented, but with the bit of electronic that was missing in ‘Raoul…’ (at least to me). And finally, it’s up to Curt to conclude with ‘Shame (Cry Heaven)’, a cool mid-tempo track absolutely perfect to end up this wonderful trip.
I couldn’t stop thinking while listening to this album that this is probably how ‘Sowing the seeds…’ would have sound if produced with the sound of ‘The Hurting’ and ‘Songs From The Big Chair’. After the phenomenal ‘Future Past’ by their peers DURAN DURAN, it’s once again some 80s gods that come to our rescue to offer what is deeply missing in music for too long now: a real album that actually tells a story, that is a trip from the first to the last song, some perfect melodies, a sound, an atmosphere, some emotions that overwhelm both the performers and the listeners.
It may have taken them 18 years to release a new full-length album, but the wait was really worth it and beyond all my fan’s expectations. The future of this band is always a challenge to predict. If this was to be the last album, it would be clearly THE perfect ending.
Tracklist
01. No Small Thing
02. The Tipping Point
03. Long, Long, Long Time
04. Break The Man
05. My Demons
06. Rivers OF Mercy
07. Please Be Happy
08. Master Plan
09. End Of Night
10. Stay
Super Deluxe Edition:
11. Secret Location
12. Let It All Evolve
13. Shame (Cry Heaven)
Line-up
Roland Orzabal – Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Curt Smith – Vocals, Bass, Keyboards
Charlton Pettus – Guitars, Keyboards, Programming
Website
www.tearsforfears.com
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Bonus: 10
Total: 10 / 10
Comments powered by CComment