Caught in the Carousel

Thomas Dolby

The Sole Inhabitant (Deluxe Edition w/DVD)
Arbor

Recorded live in Chicago in May, 2006, Thomas Dolby's The Sole Inhabitant is a career-spanning collection that comprises his biggest hits and his most artistically ambitious material. Culling selections from his four main studio albums—The Golden Age Of Wireless (1982), The Flat Earth (1984), Aliens Ate My Buick (1988) and Astronauts & Heretics (1992)—the startling revelation of The Sole Inhabitant is that all these years later, Dolby's work remains as vital and timeless as ever.

A synth-pop pioneer inspired by everyone from Can and Kraftwerk to the artful glam pop of Roxy Music, Thomas Dolby never seemed to fit in with the times. Thanks to his quirky hit "She Blinded Me With Science," he's often lumped in with '80s acts, but if you listen to his body of work, you'll find that not only does he have nothing in common either sonically or lyrically with the artists of that time, his canon contains bold, artistic strokes that three decades later have not only defied age, they sound as groundbreaking as ever. "Neither cryptic man-machine, nor trendy fashion plate simply tacking Linn drums on to conventional pop fluff," writes Kurt B. Reighley in the album's liner notes, "Dolby extended the sentiments of his classic songwriting via a very human image. Skeptics pigeonholed electronic music as cold; Thomas' cocked eyebrows, nervous tics and playful grin told otherwise."

Like Dylan, who came armed with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica around his neck, after a long absence Dolby re-emerged in 2006 as a one-man band from outer space, flanked by a rig that contained laptops and keyboards and wearing aviation goggles, a futuristic headset and a trenchcoat. The result is a rich and textured musical experience, an eleven-song set that not only re-establishes Dolby as a major musical presence, but also demonstrates that his oeuvre was always ahead of its time and he's been patiently waiting for us to catch up. "Leipzig Is Calling" and "One Of Our Submarines" are both smooth and brilliant; the sly pop of "I Live In A Suitcase" comes with a mean synth prowl and the anticipatory sentiment of the mysterious "Flying North" is rather genius. Elsewhere, the gentle electronica of "The Flat Earth" and "Budapest By Blimp" are spot on; "Windpower" packs a ghostly punch and "Europa And The Pirate Twins" is as heartbreaking as ever.

Two of the last three numbers here ("Hyperactive" and "Airhead") could have been swapped for stronger, more cohesive material (perhaps "Screen Kiss" or "I Love You, Goodbye"), but bookending an inspired version of "She Blinded Me With Science," they manage to pull through.

An underappreciated lyricist, Dolby's tales of missing submarines, subterranean air travel, and strange men pointing rayguns, are elliptical in nature, often telling a story without telling the whole story. So in fragments we get tales of adventurers in blimps, drifters walled up in "dirty desert towns" and air pirates carrying treasures and waiting for the fog to lift. It's strange stuff, sure, but it's all crafted with such specificity and precision that the compositions have only gotten bigger with the years; their panoramas have expanded and widened, their universes are now, as Dolby might offer, "deep as any ocean."

Said to be working on new material in a rescued submarine that he's converted into a studio in his backyard in England, Dolby's next move should be as fascinating as his previous ones. "Etch out a future on your own design," he urges on "Windpower."

Sound advice.

The DVD includes a live show of Dolby performing at Berklee Performance Center, in September, 2006, a David Hoffman interview of Dolby himself, as well as an explanation of his layering and looping technique and a guided tour of his equipment.

—Alex Green