The Mission - The Brightest Light flac album

Who the hell is this? Prepare yourselves, fans and even casual listeners... forget Amelia, Tower of Strength, Deliverance and Butterfly on a Wheel. Whatever impressions you had about this band are about to be blown out of the water. This is a Mission album in name only, yes you read that right. One of England's longest running musical groups have gone over the horizon in search of The Brightest Light. I'd never been a fan of what Wayne and co. do but if this is how their final chapter is to be written, I'm going to have to go back and re-visit what they have done. An about face? Happily. Serious musicianship has at last trumped this band's somewhat feather-weight reputation. My oh my can these four do the business.It does not hurt one iota that for the first time since Carved In Sand, Simon Hinkler is a member again. As much as I admire Wayne Hussey's abilities as a guitarist, when he's got Simon in the arsenal for some reason The Mission really come alive. I suppose this is why during their heyday from 1986 - 1990 they were such a guilty pleasure for me, because while indie rock ran rampant and Eldritch traded in the band for Jim Steinman: The Mission UK (as they're called here in the states) delivered on all the promise of where post-punk and "goth" were slated to go. Then Masque happened... Craig Adams left, Simon was already gone and Hussey began just putting out whatever. There were flashes of what they'd been on their then final album Blue. An album detested by fans to this day.All that aside (and we'll ignore the recent "final" shows which somehow made it onto DVD), The Mission have made a beat up bluesy beast of a record here. Hussey's lyrics are as per the norm loaded with references and sly jabs at people and institutions, he does so seem to like being the acrid tongued balladeer. Marianne Faithful's infamous escapade with sir Mick and Keith Richards gets a song all it's own on here, but Wayne cleverly changes just one word to obscure what he's on about, all the same it's hilarious. The Stones do little for me, but I instantly knew what The Girl in a Fur Skin Rug was about. Other topics include celebrity via Just Another Pawn in Your Game (take that, Moz!), religion and the lifespan of the band.When this one opens up with Black Cat Bone, you'll find yourself dropping whatever you're doing to go wander into your speakers and shake your head in wonderment. This is The Mission? Where have they been hiding all these years, and why in the good lord's name have they not explored this avenue before. Everything but the Squeal, the title track and Born Under a Good Sign hit with a vengeance and lead into some of the slower songs that are every bit as powerful as their catchy counterparts. There Ain't No Prayer in the Bible Can Save me Now is as close as I have ever heard them get to a gospel song and it's tempting to wish for a chorus to back them up; as it stands this one is potent enough without sugaring the pill. From the Oyster Comes the Pearl is a touching love song with Hussey belting it out as you know and love however the arrangement behind his words is pretty bare bones. This entire record would not be out of place playing in a roadside cafe, it certainly is not the polished monument of studio perfection these fellows usually give out.Strange hints of country twang about here and there which makes me wonder where they may be headed to next.At the very end you'll find the two finest songs on here, the epic Swan Song which bluntly says that "it ain't over till it's over... until the fat lady sings" and Hussey's love letter to his long standing (and suffering) fans Litany for the Faithful. Arches of flamenco guitar garnish this one as our leading man takes his place on stage like Peter O' Toole in Lawrence of Arabia. He surveys the endless expanse of what has come before and writes it all down in detailed list form. Somehow this band have shed their skins and emerged as just four guys who are more than happy to play for the simple love of playing.In this day and age, acts of The Mission's generation are often loath to release new work because the expectations are so high. Now add to this some of the stunts this group have pulled throughout their career and it becomes remarkably brave to do what they have done. Others are more than happy to be jukeboxes spitting out the hits, refusing to put out an album because of some contrived set of excuses for their loss of mojo. To answer the critics who doubtlessly are going to nitpick this lot to death over what they've said and done in the past, I'd imagine their response might go something like this: So we said we were done, so what? Have a new album anyway. Oh and by the way, this one doesn't sound much like us. We don't care."But I can't bring myself to sing... of ever leaving you..."