i/o

Peter Gabriel

Released on 12/1/23 by Real World Productions
Main artists: Peter Gabriel
Genre: Rock
Distinctions: Album of the week

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Peter Gabriel has been working on i/o—shorthand for input/output—for 20 years now, reworking and re-recording and workshopping songs on the road. The final result is a sprawling head trip: two albums of the same songs mixed differently by, Gabriel has said, "two of the world's best mix engineers." Spike Stent (Ed Sheeran, Björk, Madonna) handles the so-called "Bright Side" and Tchad Blake (Sheryl Crow, Fiona Apple, the Black Keys) is the "Dark Side." Comparing the two can feel like an Easter-egg hunt; choosing an overall favorite is hard and the best bet here may be to make a personal playlist combo.

Nowhere are the differences more clear, and interesting, than on "Road to Joy," a busy-orchestra treasure trove of quirky noise with a jubilant chorus. The bright version is a clear pop song, à la Gabriel's '80s output: David Rhodes' funk guitar is front and center and the horns are punchy. Blake's dark version is a weirder beast, casting the horns in a more strident role and leaning into the bass. The big, emotional title track—"Stuff coming out, stuff going in/ I'm just a part of everything"—also feels reminiscent of the singer's pop-glory days, as he hits the falsetto notes with a frenzy and the Soweto Gospel Choir adds a lush touch. Blake's "Dark Side" plays up the tumbling rhythm while Stent tweaks the strings to sound like sunburst. Sometimes, the difference is simple: bright "Olive Tree" is fuller and completely rounded; dark has more air and everything feels lower in the mix. For "The Court," Stent's version layers on extra percussion in the chorus, giving it an edgier feel, and Blake's has more solemnity. Both rely on a darkly moody orchestral arrangement to underscore the song's message of, Gabriel has said, "the struggle between order and chaos" in the justice system.

There is a running theme of connection on i/o; not just a longing for it in the world, but a true belief in its healing powers and possibility. Gabriel makes an argument for the good of everyone's cell phone being a witness on "Panopticom," which features muscular bass from Tony Levin and finds Brian Eno's spacey keyboards leavened by Katie May's warm acoustic guitar, particularly on the bright version. "In the air, the smoke cloud takes its form/ All the phones take pictures while it's warm/ Panopticom, let's find out what's going on," Gabriel sings of what he has described as the a call for the "creation of an infinitely expandable accessible data globe." There are more intimate moments, too, such as "Playing for Time," a Randy Newman-ish number exploring the blessing and curse of memory, and the stark but rich piano ballad "So Much." Gabriel, 73, sings of aging and mortality—and makes it clear he isn't done yet: "So much unfinished business/ All sticky with desire … As an old man, I was born/ But I've grown to be a baby/ With a halo and a horn." © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

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i/o

Peter Gabriel

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Panopticom (Bright Side Mix)