Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
At its quietest moments, 2007's Memory Almost Full played like a coda to Paul McCartney's illustrious career; he seemed comfortable residing in the final act of his legend, happy to reflect and riff upon his achievements. Such measured meditation is largely absent from 2013's New, the first collection of original material he's released since 2007. New lives up to its title, finding McCartney eager, even anxious, to engage with modern music while simultaneously laying claim to the candied, intricate psychedelia of latter-day Beatles. Five decades into his career, reinvention isn't expected from McCartney, so the shock arrives in the avenues Paul chooses to follow and, here, he's enthusiastically embracing modernism and pop art. He brings in Mark Ronson, the producer best-known for hits by Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, to add a bit of modern snazz, but sharp guy that he is, McCartney knows that contemporary pop albums are created by a fleet of producers, so Paul Epworth, a collaborator of Adele, Foster the People, and Florence & the Machine, is hired along with Ethan Johns (a veteran of Kings of Leon and Laura Marling) and Giles Martin (the son of Beatles producer George Martin), each enlisted to give New a crisp, clean sheen. There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen but the chef is undoubtedly McCartney, with every song -- from the kaleidoscopic title track to the delicate folk of "Hosanna" and the pounding, overstuffed "I Can Bet" -- bearing his unmistakable stamp. From the moment it opens with the insistent, propulsive "Save Us," this is a bright, vivid pop album, robust with color and so confident in its swagger that its assurance is almost distracting. Macca is determined to dazzle: not only are the melodies bold but the production is over-saturated so his pop pops in a way it hasn't in years, not since the days when a Top 40 single was a genuine possibility. Paul isn't chasing a hit single but rather embracing pop as a vital, vivacious life force, which makes the presence of "Early Days" all the more baffling. A stark acoustic recounting of the dawn of the Beatles, McCartney seems uncharacteristically defensive here as he wonders how anybody who wasn't in Hamburg could possibly tell tales of the Fab's origins, strangely tone-deaf to how he and his band have turned into myth. But that unwillingness to accept his role in history books also gives New its nerve, letting McCartney create music that is thoroughly within his lineage but cleverly modern, eschewing nostalgia for a vibrant present. That's why New is one of the best of McCartney's latter-day records: it is aware of his legacy but not beholden to it even as it builds upon it.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12.49€/month
Paul Mccartney, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Epworth, Producer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Mark Ronson, Producer - Rusty Anderson, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Mccartney, Glockenspiel, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Percussion, Vocals, Synthesizer, Celesta, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Ray, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Abe Laboriel Jr., Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Paul "Wix" Wickens, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Rusty Anderson, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Giles Martin, Producer - Paul Mccartney, Drums, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chris Worsey, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Richard Pryce, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Ray, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Peter Lale, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Caroline Dale, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Patrick Kiernan, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Cathy Thompson, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Rachel Robson, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Katherine Jenkinson, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Toby Pitman, Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Laura Melhuish, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Steve McManus, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Nina Foster, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Paul "Wix" Wickens, Accordion, Guitar, Piano, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Paul Mccartney, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Piano, Tambourine, Vocals, Synthesizer, Mellotron, Steel Guitar, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Epworth, Producer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Rusty Anderson, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Giles Martin, Producer, Additional Producer - Paul Mccartney, Guitar, Vocals, Upright Bass, Harmonium, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Ray, Dulcimer, AssociatedPerformer - Abe Laboriel Jr., Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Ethan Johns, Producer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Mark Ronson, Producer - Rusty Anderson, Bouzouki, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Giles Martin, Producer, Additional Producer - Paul Mccartney, Bouzouki, Bass Guitar, Harpsichord, Organ, Piano, Vocals, Maracas, Mellotron, Conga, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Ray, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Steve Sidwell, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Abe Laboriel Jr., Drums, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Bishop, Baritone Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Jamie Talbot, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Paul "Wix" Wickens, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Rusty Anderson, Bouzouki, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Giles Martin, Producer - Paul Mccartney, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Ray, Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Abe Laboriel Jr., Drums, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Toby Pitman, Programming, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Rusty Anderson, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Giles Martin, Producer, Foot Stamping, AssociatedPerformer - Paul Mccartney, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Piano, Vocals, Mellotron, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Eliza Marshall, Alto Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Chris Worsey, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Richard Pryce, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Brian Ray, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Peter Lale, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Caroline Dale, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Abe Laboriel Jr., Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Patrick Kiernan, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Cathy Thompson, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Rachel Robson, Viola, AssociatedPerformer - Katherine Jenkinson, Cello, AssociatedPerformer - Toby Pitman, Keyboards, Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Laura Melhuish, Violin, AssociatedPerformer - Anna Noakes, Alto Flute, AssociatedPerformer - Steve McManus, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Nina Foster, Violin, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Paul Mccartney, Drums, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Ethan Johns, Producer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Rusty Anderson, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Giles Martin, Producer - Paul Mccartney, Drums, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Organ, Percussion, Vocals, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Toby Pitman, Programming, AssociatedPerformer - Paul "Wix" Wickens, Hammond Organ, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Rusty Anderson, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Giles Martin, Producer - Paul Mccartney, Drums, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Percussion, Vocals, Synthesizer, Mellotron, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Toby Pitman, Keyboards, Programming, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Paul Mccartney, Keyboards, Percussion, Piano, Vocals, Celesta, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Paul Epworth, Producer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Rusty Anderson, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Giles Martin, Producer, Additional Producer - Paul Mccartney, Bells, Drums, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals, Synthesizer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Ray, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Abe Laboriel Jr., Drums, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Ethan Johns, Producer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Rusty Anderson, Bottles, AssociatedPerformer - Giles Martin, Producer - Paul Mccartney, Guitar, Piano, Vibraphone, Vocals, Upright Bass, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Brian Ray, Conga, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Abe Laboriel Jr., Drum, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Album review
At its quietest moments, 2007's Memory Almost Full played like a coda to Paul McCartney's illustrious career; he seemed comfortable residing in the final act of his legend, happy to reflect and riff upon his achievements. Such measured meditation is largely absent from 2013's New, the first collection of original material he's released since 2007. New lives up to its title, finding McCartney eager, even anxious, to engage with modern music while simultaneously laying claim to the candied, intricate psychedelia of latter-day Beatles. Five decades into his career, reinvention isn't expected from McCartney, so the shock arrives in the avenues Paul chooses to follow and, here, he's enthusiastically embracing modernism and pop art. He brings in Mark Ronson, the producer best-known for hits by Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, to add a bit of modern snazz, but sharp guy that he is, McCartney knows that contemporary pop albums are created by a fleet of producers, so Paul Epworth, a collaborator of Adele, Foster the People, and Florence & the Machine, is hired along with Ethan Johns (a veteran of Kings of Leon and Laura Marling) and Giles Martin (the son of Beatles producer George Martin), each enlisted to give New a crisp, clean sheen. There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen but the chef is undoubtedly McCartney, with every song -- from the kaleidoscopic title track to the delicate folk of "Hosanna" and the pounding, overstuffed "I Can Bet" -- bearing his unmistakable stamp. From the moment it opens with the insistent, propulsive "Save Us," this is a bright, vivid pop album, robust with color and so confident in its swagger that its assurance is almost distracting. Macca is determined to dazzle: not only are the melodies bold but the production is over-saturated so his pop pops in a way it hasn't in years, not since the days when a Top 40 single was a genuine possibility. Paul isn't chasing a hit single but rather embracing pop as a vital, vivacious life force, which makes the presence of "Early Days" all the more baffling. A stark acoustic recounting of the dawn of the Beatles, McCartney seems uncharacteristically defensive here as he wonders how anybody who wasn't in Hamburg could possibly tell tales of the Fab's origins, strangely tone-deaf to how he and his band have turned into myth. But that unwillingness to accept his role in history books also gives New its nerve, letting McCartney create music that is thoroughly within his lineage but cleverly modern, eschewing nostalgia for a vibrant present. That's why New is one of the best of McCartney's latter-day records: it is aware of his legacy but not beholden to it even as it builds upon it.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 00:52:10
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Paul McCartney
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Paul McCartney Catalog
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd ℗ 2013 MPL Communications Inc/Ltd
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.