Paul McCartney: New

When most people reach the tender age of 64, they step silently into retirement. Maybe invest in a vacation home. Take up gardening. When he was 64, Paul McCartney launched one of the most fertile periods of his post-Beatles career. Since 2005, he’s released seven records—two original classical works, one collection of jazz standards, three proper Paul McCartney albums and one released under his experimental moniker, The Fireman.
Of these, The Fireman may be the project that has borne the most fruit. Previously an outlet for electronic dance collaborations with former Killing Joke bassist-turned-producer Martin Glover (a.k.a. “Youth”), The Fireman’s 2008 release Electric Arguments was a daring collection of sea shanties, weird folkers, Britpop bouncers and one of the most scalding McCartney rockers since the White Album’s “Helter Skelter.” Some of us suspected—or at least hoped—that this was the kind of music Paul would make if he only could tame his showman’s desire to please the public with radio-friendly hits.
After all, an alias has always given McCartney cover to duck public expectations. Sgt. Pepper gave the Fab Four an alternate identity to firmly push the band out of mop top territory. The Fireman’s Electric Arguments pulled Paul out of a groove he had been coasting for years—to mixed results. Even on relatively strong albums like 2007’s Memory Almost Full, he kept reliving his ever-present past. Unfortunately, the past he felt most comfortable revisiting was a safe retread of glossy ‘80s super-hits instead of the spirit of his more adventurous ‘60s.
“New,” the new single from McCartney’s new album New, points a finger toward the future by freshening up the most magical elements of the Beatles’ psychedelic period. Ringing in with a harpsichord and bouncing among sunbeams, its lyrics announce an intent to look forward while reflecting upon a time “when we were new.” The song is classic McCartney to be sure…but it also features Mark Ronson’s trademark horns and record scratches, and that speaks well of the collaborative approach McCartney took to this record.
Ronson is one of four producers who have given McCartney’s new songs so many unexpected detours that New feels like a journey to someplace…well…new. Giles Martin, who did wonders turning Beatles classics into entirely new compositions on their 2006 Love album gives “Appreciate” a groovy dub trance treatment and saves the otherwise bland “Everybody Out There” with a closing buildup that has all the energy of a live show. Paul Epworth gives “Queenie Eye” a raw power that I’d love to hear on more of McCartney’s recordings.