Released 3/1/10
Olly and Gale have rediscovered the working practices that got them started in the first place, and with it their old sense of mission. Written, produced and (for the most part) performed entirely by the two of them, Outbursts is a collection of songs that returns to the essence of Turin Brakes, and not only echoes the quiet, edgy genius of their most celebrated work, but surpasses it. This fresh approach is summed up in one of the album's standout songs, Never Stops, a soulful, life-affirming mantra, with a raw, bluesy feel, which sums up the enduring spirit of Turin Brakes and their uniquely thoughtful brand of acoustic music. The return to a simpler, more immediate approach to the recording process has certainly not diminished the scale of the duo's ambition or the scope of their songs. Indeed, pop songwriting doesn't get much bigger than the apocalyptic musing of the opening track, The Sea Change, which begins with the line: "Six billion backs against the wall." Paper Heart, an achingly vulnerable, waltz-time lament with a haunting piano and string part, dissects a relationship in which one person has the power to "rearrange the sunsets" and play with their lover's world as if it was a little stage set. Olly is understandably cagey about how personal these songs are. Gale, who wrote two of the twelve songs Apocolips and Embryos - is even more reluctant to analyse the songs in terms of personal experience. "You pick up on a tiny emotion within yourself and turn it into a film," Gale says. "That's what being a good songwriter is all about, and Olly is one of the very best. One of the most dramatic "films" on the album is Radio Silence, a song which captures a sense of beautiful alienation redolent of OK Computer-era Radiohead. On Rocket Song, Olly navigates a melody line that climbs ever upwards in a delightful spiral. "This love is a rocket bound for the stars," he sings, and the song cascades into life, like a display of fireworks. "I just poured my heart out/Did I go too far?" Olly sings on the beautiful, melancholy refrain of the album's title track, Outbursts, a song that recalls the jazz standards of the 1920s and works as a gentle and typically moving epilogue. "We loved the idea that these songs were outbursts that were going to happen whether we liked it or not," Olly says. "It's an album that has been made with no outside briefing or preconceived plans. It is absolutely true to ourselves."
Disc 1: Sea Change, The Mirror Rocket Song Paper Heart Invitation, The Will Power Apocolips Embryos Letting Down, The Radio Silence Outbursts