Brothers in Arms
Knof goes pop! Essential car listening
Yes this is no Dark Side of the Moon or Revolver but it does feature five classic Knof tracks (arguably a better ratio than on any other album he released). It starts unfathomly with the virtually horizontal So Far Away From Me. As if Knopfler's keen to make it clear 'This aint no party!'. It certainly seems our hero is no closer to finding happiness. In a moment of high irony, the sardonic anti-80s anthem Money for Nothing, became a huge hit and along with its state-of-the-art video propelled this album to become one of the biggest selling albums of all time. The Walk of Life, an optimistic retro 'oldies goldies' Elvis style country rocker comes out of the blue like a hit from the needle as if suddenly everythings alright in the world. This is quickly contrasted by Your Latest Trick where Knopfler manages to condense all the late-night-music-for-lovers vibes of his career into one song, resplendent with Kenny G style sax. Still the tone is resigned and and the lyrics those of a victim of love. This is followed by Why Worry a mellow, intimate paen with a healing vibe that surely would have been a staple of wedding receptions at this time. Although things may not have worked out for him, Knopfler seems to have found some kind of peace - 'There should be sunshine after rain'. The album then descends into a 3 songs of complete annoniminity, as if vagued out by the cumulative pop-hit of Walk of Life/Your Latest Trick. It's rumored than around this time the Knof had begun dabbling with narcotics and that may go some way to explaining this momentary loss of musical conciousness . Luckily there's the atmospheric and poignant title track to see us out. A farewell to lost friends, it's a fitting end for an album, which despite its obvious flaws features a variety of moods and some great pop songs. Some might criticise it as empty and vapid in comparions to the engaging story telling of the earlier albums, but in the end it's superficiality ads to its charm, knowingly capturing the ethos of the time.
Reviewed by Joe, 21 September 2009.
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