#1076 Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel II

Somewhere the magic got lost. Gabriel's 2nd solo album follows the same blueprint as its predecessor, right down to the sharp art-pop of the respective opening tracks, but it's missing that overarching pull, those perfect barbs, that made his debut work. The best moments are when the vocals stretch just to breaking, like on the heartcrusher chorus of Mother of Violence and on the final track's desperate climax. But the rest of the time Gabriel sounds under control, playing it safe, with only token toes outside a slightly-funky radius, creating an album that's undeniably interesting, but lacking many memorable moments 3/5