Review: Gary Numan – Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)

Gary Numan

Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind)

Mortal Records

Street: 10.14.13

Gary Numan = NIN + Marilyn Manson

If you think of Gary Numan, the main pillar of new wave, the musician who first mainstreamed that avant thing called electronic music, (“Cars”, “Are Friends Electric?”) as a one hit wonder, hand over your iPod and go pick up Replicas or The Pleasure Principle. Numan’s latest album, Splinter (Songs For A Broken Mind), the 19th full-length released under his own name, has expanded his exploration of heavy industrial pop music, the sound he’s embraced since the early ’90s.

In the wake of Trent Reznor and other industrial glam rockers, it’d be easy to pigeonhole Numan on these points, but he stands on his own. If you’ve followed Numan thus far, I’m sure you’ll enjoy Splinter as it is—a solid Gary Numan record full of sonic exploration and industrial noise brought into melodic structure. If “Cars” is just a track on yet another tedious ’80s playlist, begin here and chisel your way back in time through this illustrious career of electronic innovation. –Christian Schultz