On Birdy, Peter Gabriel plunges headlong into the experimental moods and ambient textures he'd been toying with for more than a decade. It's a vibrant and absorbing effort. Though still falling back on snippets from his previous work, the compositions here give clear signs of a maturing taste for the non-Western instrumental concepts and tonal resonance that would later explode with 1989's Passion. The quiet pulse and lush production that open the foreboding "At Night" pulls strange splashes of melody into "Floating Dogs." The track then metamorphoses into a series of tribal rhythms and sinewy, melting minor-key chords. While the record is a departure, some of the best material here reworks thematic elements from past recordings. The use of "Not One of Us" from Peter Gabriel (third album) makes "Birdy's Flight" a standout, providing a midrecord burst of jolting, propulsive prog-rock before turning back into the surreal and trancelike mist. An engrossing and atmospheric dreamscape. --Matthew Cooke
Review by Tom Demalon
Peter Gabriel's first foray into soundtracks was for Alan Parker's contemplative film Birdy and is a successful companion piece, providing a backdrop that is moody and evocative. Nearly half of the album's dozen tracks incorporate threads from material found on Gabriel's 1982 Security set, including "Close Up," which makes use of keyboard passages from "Family Snapshot," and "The Heat," which is a reworking of "The Rhythm of the Heat" and builds to a frenzied percussive crescendo. Material specially written for this project includes the murky opening track, "At Night," the tribal "Floating Dogs," and "Slow Marimbas," a track which would become part of future live performances. The fact that Birdy is comprised of all instrumentals means that listeners whose familiarity with Gabriel is limited to "Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes" will be largely disappointed. However, its meditative nature makes it fine, reflective listening for the more adventurous.
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