Review Summary: Sometimes it's nice to be alone in the Universe...
It would seem that following its breakup in 1986, Electric Light Orchestra put the matter to rest, and nothing hinted at a possible comeback. However, reality intervened and set things right. The first attempt to revive the dust-covered name was undertaken by chief ideologist
Jeff Lynne in 2001, when he released the album
Zoom. To be honest, it is unclear why exactly that attempt did not pan out, but it would be wrong to put the blame on the LP itself. Still, it produced such poor results that the comeback of Electric Light Orchestra folded before it even took off, and at the time, it really looked like the end. It is possible Jeff had the same thoughts, because after his failed attempt, he threw himself into production duties and resurfaced only in passing with his second solo effort,
Long Wave. Nevertheless, it was that period that started the countdown to the release of a new ELO (with the prefix “Jeff Lynne’s”) album titled
Alone in the Universe in 2015.
Actually, after listening to it, you may feel that the LP acts more as the opposite to previous releases and the band’s overall sound. The only recognizable features are Jeff Lynne’s voice and the unfailing pop-rock that still acts as the primary musical backbone, while the bombast present on their releases in the 1970s and 80s is now absent. Instead, we get a sense of intimacy and a feeling of homeliness, like an old friend you have not seen in a long while. And it is no accident, since Jeff wrote, played, and recorded
Alone in the Universe practically by himself in his home studio, with only some assistance from his daughter Laura and engineer Steve Jay. It might be that this fact (as well as the life experience gained since the breakup of Electric Light Orchestra) had the most impact on the pleasant, melancholic vibe. In fact, this is nicely highlighted by the album cover, where we can see a lonely boy sitting in the middle of a field at night and an approaching (or receding?) spaceship with the band’s name on the bottom.
Despite these mood changes, Jeff stays true to himself in everything else. Having cast aside the grand scale that no longer suits his age, he still sticks to the maxims of his rock ‘n’ roll idols and the musical methods that served him well during the band’s golden era. As such, we see things more typical of the 1970s, though they do not feel as out of style or outdated – for example, a reggae rhythm in
When the Night Comes, a Merseybeat-style track titled
Ain’t That a Drag that acts as a salute to the sound of the 1960s, or
One Step at a Time with its disco inflections. But Jeff is not afraid to widen his repertoire a little bit, presenting the autobiographical and charmingly simple
When I Was a Boy or the similarly simple and effective
All My Life.
It would be wrong to state that the musician is just trying to cash in on a well-known name. On the contrary,
Alone in the Universe surprisingly turned out to be able to stand on its own two feet, unlike some other attempts to lure in a modern audience. Jeff does not try to replicate the ELO sound of its peak era; instead, he released a solid album that provides a concentrated dose of his strengths, leaving no room for misses. And while the release will not stand in the same echelon as the band’s best albums, it definitely deserves attention.
