Kate Bush Aerial

Critic's Take

In his genial, slightly wry way Alexis Petridis argues that Kate Bush's Aerial finds grandeur in small moments, and the best songs on Aerial - notably “Mrs. Bartolozzi (2018 Remaster)” and “Aerial (2018 Remaster)” - do most of that heavy lifting. He revels in Bush turning domestic detail into the extraordinary, praising the "lovely and moving piano ballad" of “Mrs. Bartolozzi (2018 Remaster)” while admiring the second CD's slow, beautiful sequence anchored by “Aerial (2018 Remaster)”. The result, he writes in his characteristically conversational and slightly amused tone, is an album that is sometimes dated but frequently sublime, the kind of return that feels like an event rather than a comeback.

Key Points

• The best song, “Mrs. Bartolozzi (2018 Remaster)”, is praised for turning domestic detail into moving, erotic wonder.
• Aerial's core strength is making commonplace events feel extraordinary through pastoral arrangements and intimate vignettes.

Themes

Critic's Take

Kate Bush's Aerial rewards close listening, and the best tracks on Aerial are the plainly affecting “A Coral Room” and the audacious, peculiar “Pi” - both reveal Bush's mix of literariness and raw emotion. The second disc's arc - from “Prelude” through “Sunset” and “Aerial” - is praised for its consistent sumptuous keys and narrative arrangements, even if it lacks the first disc's standout moments. Overall Hayward presents Aerial as lavish, eccentric and intelligent, a work equal to Bush's best aside from Hounds of Love.

Key Points

• The album's core strengths are its lavish arrangements, eccentric ambition, and consistent narrative on the second disc.

Themes

Critic's Take

In a graceful return Kate Bush fashions Aerial into an intimate, timeless triumph, and the best tracks on Aerial are unmistakable. The second disc's opener “Prologue” and the propulsive title track “Aerial” are the album's emotional peaks, the former a gentle dawn and the latter a euphoric, maniacal burst of birdsong and laughter. The result is a patient, organic work that often feels dateless, rewarding anyone who comes looking for the best songs on Aerial with vivid, singular moments.

Key Points

• The best song is the title track's closing euphoria and the second-disc opener “Prologue” because they frame the album's emotional arc with birdsong and ecstatic moments.
• Aerial's core strengths are its organic patience, domestic intimacy, and timeless eccentricities that make even saccharine moments feel genuine.

Themes

Critic's Take

The reviewer’s tone is admiring and exacting, noting that CD1 is "virtually flawless, inventive contemporary pop" while CD2 is a more ambitious soundscape suite. Praise sits alongside measured critique - "It doesn't work all the time, but when it does it's a triumph of warmth, depth and clarity" - which explains why those standout songs matter. This reads as both affirmation that the best songs on Aerial repay the wait and a reminder that Bush’s regained voice is most potent in her daring sequences.

Key Points

• The best song is praised for exemplifying CD1's inventive, mystifying pop and showing Bush still entices listeners.
• The album’s core strengths are ambitious soundscapes, lyrical maternal memoir, and inventive contemporary pop.

Themes

Critic's Take

Bartolozzi” revives obsessive eroticism through ordinary acts. The result is an album rooted in Bush's oeuvre, graceful and obsessive, with these standout songs best embodying its domestic magic and romantic sweep.

Key Points

• The title track is the album's most surprising and intense moment, delivering dawn's fury and vocal fireworks.
• Aerial's core strengths are its detailed domestic vignettes, lush romanticism, and obsessive attention to sonic and lyrical detail.

Themes

Critic's Take

The critic frames the second disc, A Sky Of Honey, as the album's emotional and musical apex, calling it musically amazing and conceptually powerful.

Key Points

• The album's core strength is the ambitious, musically varied conceptual second disc, A Sky Of Honey, which the reviewer calls musically amazing and conceptually powerful.

Themes

Critic's Take

Kate Bush returns with Aerial, and the review clearly points to best songs like “Mrs. Bartolozzi” and “Pi” as highlights, praised for their evocative imagery and daring conceits. The reviewer lingers on “Mrs. Bartolozzi” for its blend of erotic and poignant domestic detail, and on “Pi” for transforming a recitation of numbers into something nearly sensual. Overall the critic frames the best tracks as patient, nuanced compositions that reward full listens rather than instant hits.

Key Points

• The best song, "Mrs. Bartolozzi", stands out for its erotic and poignant domestic imagery and is called one of the album's strongest tracks.
• The album's core strength is patient, nuanced songwriting that favors cohesion, atmosphere, and detailed arrangements over instant pop hits.

Themes

Critic's Take

Kate Bush returns with Aerial, a record where the best tracks are quieter revelations rather than fireworks - the hypnotic recitation in “Pi (2018 Remaster)” and the domestic poetry of “Mrs. Bartolozzi (2018 Remaster)” stand out. Dominique Leone writes in a patient, slightly rueful register, appreciating the album's low-key backdrops and lush vocal palette while admitting they seldom leap out. The second disc's gentle arc gives moments of effortless euphoria, though Leone still wishes for a bit more spark. In short, the best songs on Aerial reward close listening rather than instant devotion.

Key Points

• The best song is "Pi (2018 Remaster)" for its expressive recitation and vocal invention.
• The album's core strengths are intimate songwriting, lush vocal textures, and understated arrangements that reward close listening.

Themes