Hounds of Love (2018 Remaster)

Album review

This fifth studio album by Kate Bush is often considered one of her masterpieces. The themes explored and the general atmosphere on Hounds of Love once again demonstrate the singer-songwriter’s intelligence, especially in the subtle way she mixes darkness with lightness. The single Running Up That Hill - a huge hit in 1985 - perfectly testifies to this, as Kate Bush suggests how men and women could resolve their differences by walking in each other’s shoes ("And if I only could/I'd make a deal with God/And I'd get him to swap our places"). The driving electronic drums that envelop the song illustrate the singer's never-ending optimism despite the melancholic-tinged melody.

Bush’s ambivalence is also palpable on The Big Sky, a song that is innocent and dark in equal measure. Musically speaking, the album echoes her double vision since we find Kate Bush’s beloved synths (especially the Fairlight) mixed with acoustic and sometimes traditional instruments (especially in the very Irish-sounding Jig of Life). As usual, she sprinkles various references to horror movies into her songs. In the disturbing song Hello Earth she quotes Jacques Tourneur (Night of the Demon, 1957) and uses choirs from Nosferatu the Vampyre (Werner Herzog, 1979). Not to mention the lyrics on Hounds of Love, which are worthy of a Hitchcock nightmare. Alongside these tense moments, Kate Bush soothes us with softer songs, such as the ballad Dream of Sheep with its prevailing piano. A rich, intelligent, elegant, audacious album. In one word: a masterpiece. © Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz